Low-Temperature, Low-Environmental-Impact Synthesis of Barium Sulphide for Perovskite Applications

Will Tetlow^a, Giulia Longo^b, Marc Etherington^a, Oliver Hutter^a

^aNorthumbria University, 302 Whynne Jones Building, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

^bUniversitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), Spain, Cami de Vera,s/n, Valencia, Spain

Materials for Sustainable Development Conference (MATSUS)
Proceedings of MATSUS Spring 2025 Conference (MATSUSSpring25)

Emerging chalcogenide materials for thin film photovoltaic applications - #ChalcoPV

Sevilla, Spain, 2025 March 3rd - 7th

Organizers: Giulia Longo and Lucy Whalley

Oral, Will Tetlow, presentation 323
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.matsusspring.2025.323
Publication date: 16th December 2024

Barium sulphide (BaS) serves as a crucial precursor for advanced barium-based materials, including the emerging perovskite absorber BaZrS₃.^[1] However, conventional BaS production methods are highly energy-intensive, requiring temperatures exceeding 1000 °C ^[2,3] and emitting large quantities of CO₂ and SO₂,^[3,4] raising environmental concerns.

This work presents a novel solid-state synthesis route for BaS that drastically reduces the environmental and energy demands. By employing a finely milled mixture of barium hydroxide [Ba(OH)₂] and elemental sulphur, we achieve an efficient conversion (85%) to BaS at a remarkably low annealing temperature of 500°C.

The process is enabled by a unique low-pressure annealing environment, which facilitates the rapid vaporization of H₂O byproducts while maintaining a controlled sulphur partial pressure. This balance prevents unwanted side reactions and enhances the conversion efficiency. Furthermore, this method is highly scalable and compatible with industrial processes, offering a sustainable and economically viable pathway for BaS production.

References:

[1] 1. Thakur, N., Aly, K.A., Mohery, M., Ebrahium, M.M., Kumar, P. and Sharma, P., 2023. Recent advances in BaZrS3 perovskites: synthesis, properties, and future trends. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 957, p.170457.

[2] 2. Mulopo, J. and Motaung, S., 2014. Carbothermal reduction of barium sulfate-rich sludge from acid mine drainage treatment. Mine Water and the Environment, 33(1), p.48.

[3] 3. Balintova, M., Demcak, S., Estokova, A., Holub, M. and Pavlikova, P., 2017. Study of thermal reduction of barium sulphate for barium sulphide preparation. In Environmental Engineering. Proceedings of the International Conference on Environmental Engineering. ICEE (Vol. 10, pp. 1-6). Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Department of Construction Economics & Property.

[4] 4. Zhang, W., Zhou, Y., Zhu, J. and Pan, Y., 2014. New clean process for barium sulfide preparation by barite reduction with elemental sulfur. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 53(14), pp.5646-5651.

Acknowledgements:

Giulia Longo, Marc Etherington, Oliver Hutter

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