Copper zinc tin sulfide (Cu2ZnSnS4, CZTS) consists of abundant and cheap elements and is therefore a very promising alternative to semiconductors based on Ga or In as solar absorber material. In addition it displays very beneficial properties like a high optical absorption coefficient and an ideal band gap for photovoltaic applications. In this contribution we present the preparation of CZTS thin films from metal salts (copper(I) iodide, zinc(II) acetate and tin(II) chloride) and thioacetamide as sulfur source by a solution based precursor method. CZTS solar cells based on these films as absorber layer with a simple ITO/CZTS/CdS/Al assembly are fabricated and characterized. Efficiencies up to 0.5% were achieved demonstrating the potential of this precursor method for the preparation of CZTS thin films for photovoltaic applications.

Conscription and resistance to it can tell us much about state–society relations in Mexico in the 1940s. The state's implementation of conscription was obstructed by limited bureaucratic and coercive capacity, and by the continued political autonomy of the regions. Popular protests and the hundreds of petitions sent to the central government provide a glimpse of popular views of the army, state, nation, notions of respectability, and the family. The extent of both violent and more ‘loyal’ resistance to the draft shows the continued vigorous contestation of state policies by Mexican society at different levels, and it illustrates the limits to the popular legitimacy of the central state.

The successful synthesis of dimethyltetrathiotetracene (DMTTT) has been achieved in our laboratory and an account of the details of the synthesis has been reported. Reported herein are studies of the physical properties of DMTTT and some of its chemistry. Both 1:1 and 2:1 DMTTTX charge transfer salts have been prepared and are in the process of being characterized in our laboratory. Comparisons of physical properties and the results of studies such as single crystal x-ray diffraction, solid state ESR spectra, cyclic voltammetry and electrical conductivity are reported. To date, these comparisons reveal considerable similarity between the properties of any given DMTTT charge transfer salt and its corresponding tetrathiotetracene (TTT) charge transfer salt.