Nanocomposite Thin Film TiO<SUB>2</SUB>/CdS Electrodes Prepared by Thermal Evaporation Process for Photovoltaic Applications

Abstract

The incorporation of cadmium sulfide (CdS) into TiO₂ nanoparticle thin films was investigated. The nanoparticle TiO₂ thin film onto an indium doped–tin oxide (ITO) substrate was deposited by Electron Beam Deposition (EBD) combined with thermal process. Then a CdS thin film was vacuum-deposited onto the pre-deposited TiO₂ film by a thermal evaporation technique. The obtained TiO₂/CdS was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The TiO₂/CdS nanocomposite film was used in a photo-electrochemical (PEC) cell as a working electrode and a platinum electrode as a counter electrode. The electrolyte solution contains 1 M KCl and 0.1M Na₂S. The results show that the cell with TiO₂/CdS composite film electrode has significantly improved photoelectric capability in comparison with that of the pure TiO₂ thin films.