LAUSR

Abstract A distorted single crystal structure of bis(piperidinedithiocarbamato)lead(II) complex and its subsequent use to deposit thin films is reported. Two deposition routes namely, aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) and spin coating deposition have been employed to obtain anisotropic lead sulfide (PbS) nanostructures. The thin films displayed rod to cubic shaped crystals for AACVD, and a range of cubes, star and dendritic morphologies with variation of temperatures were displayed for spin coated films. Optical band gaps between 1.32 and 1.55 eV as controlled by the change in temperature were observed for thin films deposited by AACVD. Powder X-ray diffraction (P-XRD) studies show that the films formed are composed of cubic crystalline PbS. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to investigate the effect of activation temperatures (350, 400 and 450 °C) on the chemical composition and oxidation states of PbS samples.