{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T04:26:54Z","timestamp":1787286414324,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,19]],"date-time":"2026-08-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787097600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia","award":["451-03-33\/2026-03\/200017"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["451-03-33\/2026-03\/200017"]}]},{"award":["451-03-33\/2026-03\/200017"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["451-03-33\/2026-03\/200017"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01znas443","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Romanian National Authority for Research","award":["PC3-PN23080303"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PC3-PN23080303"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100006595","name":"UEFISCDI","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["19\/15.03.2024"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["19\/15.03.2024"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100006595","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100006595","name":"UEFISCDI","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["28PCBROMD\/22.09.2025"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["28PCBROMD\/22.09.2025"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100006595","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["19\/15.03.2024"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["19\/15.03.2024"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01q7jq182","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["28PCBROMD\/22.09.2025"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["28PCBROMD\/22.09.2025"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01q7jq182","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000921","name":"COST","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["CA21148"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CA21148"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000921","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["CA21148"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CA21148"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01bstzn19","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Renew-PV","award":["19\/15.03.2024"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["19\/15.03.2024"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Int. J. Mol. Sci.","IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cu(I)-doped Sb2S3 powders were synthesized using the hot-injection method, with the aim of reducing crystalline particle size and tailoring their morphology to make them more spherical and better suited for spray deposition as an absorber layer in photovoltaic devices. Structural and microstructural analyses confirmed the successful formation of elongated (rod-like) crystalline Sb2S3 particles. CuSbS2, itself a semiconducting material with a high light-absorption coefficient, formed in large amounts in Cu-doped systems, in the form of agglomerates of platelet-like particles. The third abundant phase was an amorphous phase present as spherical nanoparticles composed of uniformly distributed Sb, Cu and S. The presence of Cu decreased Sb2S3 particle size but did not significantly influence its morphology. Chlorides in the synthesis solution enabled faster crystallization than when acetates are the only present anionic species. When Cu, Sb and S sources were added during hot injection in stoichiometric amounts to form CuSbS2, this phase was not reached, and Cu9S5 and Cu12Sb4S13 were the dominant phases, indicating Cu-rich phases have a higher tendency to crystallize in specific conditions with an excess of antimony, and, potentially, sulfur is needed to obtain pure CuSbS2.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27167406","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,19]],"date-time":"2026-08-19T11:04:12Z","timestamp":1787137452000},"page":"7406","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Cu-Substituted Sb2S3 Nanopowders\u2014Structural, Microstructural and Optical Analyses"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4111-8809","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nikola","family":"Ili\u0107","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Atomic Physics, Vin\u010da Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cristian","family":"Radu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Materials Physics, Atomistilor 405A, 077125 Magurele, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amelia Elena","family":"Bocirnea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Materials Physics, Atomistilor 405A, 077125 Magurele, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1914-4210","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aurelian","family":"Catalin Galca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Materials Physics, Atomistilor 405A, 077125 Magurele, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9874-8583","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ivana","family":"Valid\u017ei\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Atomic Physics, Vin\u010da Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"857","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joule.2018.04.003","article-title":"Sb2S3 Solar Cells","volume":"2","author":"Kondrotas","year":"2018","journal-title":"Joule"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"281","DOI":"10.1038\/s41377-024-01620-0","article-title":"Additive engineering for Sb2S3 indoor photovoltaics with efficiency exceeding 17%","volume":"13","author":"Chen","year":"2024","journal-title":"Light-Sci. Appl."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7195","DOI":"10.1039\/D1CP05373F","article-title":"Lone pair driven anisotropy in antimony chalcogenide semiconductors","volume":"24","author":"Wang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100533","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsamd.2023.100533","article-title":"Recent advances and new research trends in Sb2S3 thin film based solar cells","volume":"8","author":"Farhana","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Sci. Adv. Mater. Devices"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1919","DOI":"10.1016\/j.matlet.2011.03.032","article-title":"Colloidal synthesis of Sb2S3 nanorods\/bars with strong preferred orientation","volume":"65","year":"2011","journal-title":"Mater. Lett."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"989","DOI":"10.1007\/s12540-012-6010-7","article-title":"Growth of Sb2S3 Nanowires Synthesized by Colloidal Process and Self-Assembly of Amorphous Spherical Sb2S3 Nanoparticles in Wires Formation","volume":"18","year":"2012","journal-title":"Met. Mater. Int."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"48","DOI":"10.1007\/s11051-023-05695-5","article-title":"Amorphous non-doped and Se-, Cu-, and Zn-doped Sb2S3 nanoparticles prepared by a hot-injection method: Bandgap tuning and possible observation of the quantum size effect","volume":"25","author":"Graf","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Nanopart. Res."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"704","DOI":"10.1002\/pip.2724","article-title":"High-efficiency Sb2S3-based hybrid solar cell at low light intensity: Cell made of synthesized Cu and Se-doped Sb2S3","volume":"24","author":"Bundaleski","year":"2016","journal-title":"Prog. Photovolt. Res. Appl."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"458","DOI":"10.1007\/s10854-024-12256-6","article-title":"Improvement of the photoelectrical properties of chemical bath-deposited Sb2S3 thin films with low copper doping","volume":"35","author":"Gonzalez","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron."},{"key":"ref_10","first-page":"643","article-title":"Structural and Photovoltaic Enhancements in Cu-doped Sb2S3 Thin Films via Chemical Bath Deposition","volume":"10","author":"Balnan","year":"2025","journal-title":"MAS J. Appl. Sci."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"962649","DOI":"10.1155\/2012\/962649","article-title":"Tailoring the Composition and Properties of Sprayed CuSbS2 Thin Films by Using Polymeric Additives","volume":"2012","author":"Popovici","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int. J. Photoenergy"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"499","DOI":"10.1016\/j.solmat.2014.09.041","article-title":"Self-regulated growth and tunable properties of CuSbS2 solar absorbers","volume":"132","author":"Welch","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mssp.2018.06.023","article-title":"Orthorhombic CuSbS2 nanobricks: Synthesis and its photo responsive behaviour","volume":"87","author":"Sivagami","year":"2018","journal-title":"Mater. Sci. Semicond. Process."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"422","DOI":"10.1016\/j.solener.2018.08.080","article-title":"Tetrahedrite (Cu12Sb4S13) thin films for photovoltaic and thermoelectric Applications","volume":"174","author":"Ren","year":"2018","journal-title":"Sol. Energy"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"165","DOI":"10.1016\/j.matdes.2017.09.059","article-title":"Phase controlled synthesis of CuSbS2 nanostructures: Effect of reaction conditions on phase purity and morphology","volume":"136","author":"Pal","year":"2017","journal-title":"Mater. Des."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"450","DOI":"10.1007\/s12200-020-1024-0","article-title":"Recent progress in the research on using CuSbS2 and its derivative CuPbSbS3 as absorbers in case of photovoltaic devices","volume":"14","author":"Zhang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front. Optoelectron."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"180","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tsf.2017.12.002","article-title":"Solution processed CuSbS2 films for solar cell applications","volume":"646","author":"Edley","year":"2018","journal-title":"Thin Solid Films"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"157","DOI":"10.1016\/j.matlet.2017.12.084","article-title":"Platelet CuSbS2 particles with a suitable conduction band position for solar cell applications","volume":"215","author":"Moosakhani","year":"2018","journal-title":"Mater. Lett."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7840","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.inorgchem.5b00858","article-title":"Synthesis of Copper-Antimony-Sulfide Nanocrystals for Solution-Processed Solar Cells","volume":"54","author":"Suehiro","year":"2015","journal-title":"Inorg. Chem."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e26896","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2024.e26896","article-title":"Numerical Study of copper antimony sulphide (CuSbS2) solar cell by SCAPS-1D","volume":"10","author":"Obare","year":"2024","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3260","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-021-23592-0","article-title":"Revealing composition and structure dependent deep-level defect in antimony trisulfide photovoltaics","volume":"12","author":"Lian","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nat. Commun."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110","DOI":"10.1016\/j.inoche.2018.04.017","article-title":"Two-dimensional (2D) amorphous antimony (III) trisulfide nanosheets: Synthesis, photoelectronic property and their transformation to crystalline 1D micro\/nanorods","volume":"92","author":"Wang","year":"2018","journal-title":"Inorg. Chem. Commun."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"751","DOI":"10.1107\/S0567739476001551","article-title":"Revised Effective Ionic Radii and Systematic Studies of interatomic distances in Halides and chalcogenides","volume":"A32","author":"Shannon","year":"1976","journal-title":"Acta Cryst."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18093","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jpcc.4c04781","article-title":"Investigation of Silver and Copper Doping on Antimony Sulfide Thin Films Obtained by Electrophoretic Deposition","volume":"128","author":"Lebarstard","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Phys. Chem. C"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8445","DOI":"10.1021\/acsami.5b12178","article-title":"Antimony(III) Sulfide Thin Films as a Photoanode Material in Photocatalytic Water Splitting","volume":"8","author":"DeAngelis","year":"2016","journal-title":"ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13717","DOI":"10.1039\/D0DT01753A","article-title":"Antimonene nanosheets with enhanced electrochemical performance for energy storage applications","volume":"49","author":"Ismail","year":"2020","journal-title":"Dalton Trans."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"24246","DOI":"10.1038\/srep24246","article-title":"Structural properties of Sb2S3 under pressure: Evidence of an electronic topological transition","volume":"6","author":"Efthimiopoulos","year":"2016","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1016\/S1359-0286(00)00037-1","article-title":"HRTEM surface profile imaging of solids","volume":"5","author":"Zhou","year":"2001","journal-title":"Curr. Opin. Solid State Mater. Sci."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13691","DOI":"10.1039\/D5RA00586H","article-title":"Thickness-dependent performance of antimony sulfide thin films as a photoanode for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting","volume":"15","author":"Kavya","year":"2025","journal-title":"RSC Adv."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3135","DOI":"10.1021\/cm500516v","article-title":"CuSbS2 as a Promising Earth-Abundant Photovoltaic Absorber Material: A Combined Theoretical and Experimental Study","volume":"26","author":"Yang","year":"2014","journal-title":"Chem. Mater."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1036","DOI":"10.1049\/mnl.2018.0099","article-title":"Investigation on preparation and formation mechanism of copper antimony sulphide particles by microwave irradiation","volume":"13","author":"Wang","year":"2018","journal-title":"Micro Nano Lett."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5627","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-022-08822-9","article-title":"Synthesis of ternary copper antimony sulfide via solventless thermolysis or aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition using metal dithiocarbamates","volume":"12","author":"Makin","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1021","DOI":"10.3762\/bjnano.12.76","article-title":"Revealing the formation mechanism and band gap tuning of Sb2S3 nanoparticles","volume":"12","author":"Joschko","year":"2021","journal-title":"Beilstein J. Nanotechnol."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"119165","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mseb.2025.119165","article-title":"Hot injection synthesis parameters effects on the structure, crystallinity, microstructure and optical properties of Sb2S3 nanopowders","volume":"326","year":"2026","journal-title":"Mater. Sci. Eng. B-Adv."}],"container-title":["International Journal of Molecular Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1422-0067\/27\/16\/7406\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T04:21:56Z","timestamp":1787286116000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1422-0067\/27\/16\/7406"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,19]]},"references-count":34,"journal-issue":{"issue":"16","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]}},"alternative-id":["ijms27167406"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijms27167406","relation":{},"ISSN":["1422-0067"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1422-0067","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,19]]}}}