Thermal Decomposition of Copper(I) Thiocarbamide Chloride Hemihydrate

Two combinations of simultaneous thermoanalytical techniques (TG+DTA and TG+EGA) were used to study the thermal decomposition of the title compound in order to gain a better insight into the spray pyrolytic processes leading to Cu2-xS and CuInS2 thin films. After dehydration a complex sequence of reactions starts above 220°C leading through several intermediates to the formation of CuO in air at 1000°C. In an inert atmosphere Cu2S is formed which in helium above 800°C partly decomposes to Cu. XRD and FTIR were used to identify the intermediate solid phases which in air included CuCl, Cu2OSO4, Cu2OCl2 and CuSO4. EGA-FTIR confirmed the complex reaction mechanism with NH3, HCl, H2O, COS, CO2 and some HCN as main gaseous products under oxidative conditions. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.