Tin Monosulfide (SnS) Synthesis

Tin monosulfide (SnS) is comprised of abundant and nontoxic elements and shows promise for use in photovoltaic cells since it has a band gap energy that falls within the visible light spectrum. Previous experiments have shown that SnS nanoplatelets can be synthesized by injecting tin diethyldithiocarbamate dissolved in oleic acid into a flask containing heated oleylamine. These nanoplatelets are 3-60 nm thick and maybe as wide as a few micrometers. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of experimental factors including oleylamine volume, reaction temperature, and reaction time on SnS platelet formation. After synthesis, the SnS platelets were characterized using Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Raman and XRD show that while SnS could be synthesized under some conditions, tin disulfide (SnS2) may also be present if the reaction is not complete. Size and phase purity of the synthesis product depends on time, temperature, and oleylamine volume. These data are useful to understanding the chemistry behind SnS formation during the synthesis procedure, which is an important step to optimize the procedure for future work on SnS.This research was supported by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). This work was supported partially by the National Science Foundation through the University of Minnesota MRSEC under Award Number DMR - 1420013. Parts of this work were carried out at the University of Minnesota Characterization Facility