Top-view scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the Sb2Se3 thin films with and without different catalysts were acquired using a Zeiss Gemini 450 SEM. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis utilized the Rigaku Smartlab diffractometer. Reference cards for Sb2Se3 and Au were obtained from the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC) database. The UV-3600 Plus instrument from Shimadzu, equipped with an integrating sphere, was employed for conducting diffuse reflectance measurements (DRS). An Asylum Research AFM (MFP-3D) was used to measure the work function of the samples. The probe used for the measurement was an AC240TM-R3. For calibration of the work function of the tip, a highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was used, with a reported work function of ∼4.6 eV. To achieve a fresh HOPG surface, a piece of scotch tape was used to pull off a few top layers of the graphite, exposing a fresh, clean surface for calibration. The HOPG used was purchased from MikroMasch (Grade: ZYA). The open-source Gwyddion software package and the Asylum Research built-in software were used to analyse the AFM pictures further. The thickness of the samples was measured using the DektakXT Bruker stylus profilometer.