Influence of Triethanolamine on the Properties of Chemical Bath Deposited Nickel Sulphide Thin Films

Nickel sulphide thin films were deposited on indium tin oxide glass substrate using the chemical bath deposition method. The thin films were obtained in a reaction bath at various amounts of triethanolamine solution. The structure and optical properties of the thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction and UV-Visible spectrophotometer, respectively. The photoresponse of the deposited films and their conduction types were evaluated using the photoelectrochemical technique. The X-ray diffraction data indicated that the number of peaks increased as the amount of triethanolamine was increased up to 5 ml. However, the total Ni4S3 peaks were reduced to two peaks as the amount of triethanolamine was further increased to 10 ml. Based on the photoelectrochemical test, different samples showed different photosensitivity results. Therefore, the presence of triethanolamine as a complexing agent had significant influence on the properties of the deposited films.