Optical properties of bio-inspired silver sulfide structures

• Silver sulfide bio-inspired structures were synthesized by simple solid–vapor reaction. • Applied voltage during synthesis stimulates the structure growth. • A 1.15eV bandgap energy was calculated which is very near to the reported optimal value for solar cells applications. Bio-inspired silver sulfide structures with leaf like morphology were successfully synthesized over mechanically deformed silver substrates by simple solid–vapor reactions. The effect of time and voltage in the synthesis and control of these silver sulfide structures was studied as well as their influence in the optical properties. Structures synthesized at 1V, 10h, 75°C and 1atm showed a bandgap of 1.15eV, according calculations using the Kubelka–Munk function, which is very similar to the reported optimal value for solar cells applications.