𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗧𝗜𝗥 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗲 (𝗣𝗯𝗦) 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺𝘀

How does precursor concentration influence the structure and bonding behaviour of PbS thin films?

This study investigates the effect of lead-ion concentration on the crystallographic and FTIR properties of lead sulphide thin films deposited using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction technique.

PbS thin films were grown on soda-lime glass substrates at lead-ion concentrations of 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 M, while maintaining a constant SILAR cycle number of 25. The study highlights SILAR as a low-cost, rapid, and scalable deposition method for producing nanocrystalline thin films.

X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the deposited PbS films were crystalline and possessed a cubic structure, with the preferred orientation observed along the (111) plane. The highest diffraction peak was recorded for the film deposited at 0.7 M, indicating improved crystallinity at higher concentration.

FTIR analysis revealed important bonding features within the films, including O–H stretching vibration at 3419.10 cm⁻¹, C–O stretching vibrations, N–H group vibrations, CH₂ bending vibrations, and characteristic Pb–S-related absorption features.

The results show that increasing precursor concentration from 0.3 to 0.7 M enhanced PbS bond formation, peak sharpness, absorbance intensity, surface coverage, and overall film quality.

This research contributes to thin-film deposition, semiconductor materials, nanocrystalline PbS development, infrared detector materials, optoelectronic applications, and low-cost material fabrication techniques.

📖 Read the full article here:
https://doi.org/10.61298/pnspsc.2026.3.339

Published in: Proceedings of the Nigerian Society of Physical Sciences