Self-catalytic solution-liquid-liquid-solid (SLLS) growth of tapered SnS nanorods

Synthesis, local structure and optical property studies of α-SnS microrods by synchrotron X-ray pair distribution function and micro-Raman shift

The PDF refinement shows layer structure of SnS-A with two distinct bond lengths, one nearly parallel to the ‘a’ axis and another perpendicular to the ‘a’ axis, it corresponds to bond lengths of 2.62528 (38) Å and 2.66204 (03) Å.

Catalytically solid-phase self-organization of nanoporous SnS with optical depolarizability

The catalytic solid-phase synthesis of self-organized nanoporous tin sulfide (SnS) with enhanced absorption, manipulative transmittance and depolarization features is demonstrated. Using an ultralow radio-frequency (RF) sputtering power, the variation of the orientation angle between the anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane and the axis of the sputtered ion beam detunes the catalytically synthesized SnS from nanorod to nanoporous morphology, along the sidewall of the AAO membrane. The ultraslow catalytic sputtering synthesis on the AAO at the RF plasma power of 20 W and the orientation angle of 0° regulates the porosity and integrality of nanoporous SnS, with average pore diameter of 80-150 nm. When transferring from planar to nanoporous structure, the phase composition changes from SnS to SnS2-Sn2S3, and the optical bandgap shrinks from 1.43 to 1.16 eV, due to the preferred crystalline orientation, which also contributes to an ultralow reflectance of <1% at 200-500 nm when both the transmittance and the surface scattering remain at their maxima. The absorption coefficient is enhanced by nearly one order of magnitude with its minimum of >5 × 10(4) cm(-1) at the wavelength between 200 and 700 nm, due to the red-shifting of the absorption spectrum to at least 100 nm. The catalytically self-organized nanoporous SnS causes strong haze and beam divergence of 20°-30° by depolarized nonlinear scattering at the surface, which favors the solar energy conversion with reduced surface reflection and enhanced photon scattering under preserved transmittance.

The synthesis of multi-structured SnS nanocrystals toward enhanced performance for photovoltaic devices

The synthesis of multi-scale SnS nanostructures with favorable fluorescence is facilely accomplished via a well-excogitated gentle process, involving simple precursors, stabilized chemical medium and primitive ligand exchange. The fabricated SnS nanocrystals can be adopted as hole transporting materials in photovoltaic devices for enhancing its power conversion efficiency.

Fe whisker growth revisited: effect of Au catalysis for [021̄] oriented nanowires with 100 nm diameter

The growth mechanism of Fe nanowires and the role of Au nanoparticle catalysis were revealed using transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction analysis. Fe nanowire has a high aspect ratio and unique [021̄] orientation.

Solution-based synthesis of wurtzite Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoleaves introduced by α-Cu2S nanocrystals as a catalyst

Cu2ZnSnS4 is a promising solar absorbing material in solar cells due to its high absorption coefficient and abundance on earth. We have demonstrated that wurtzite Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoleaves could be synthesized through a facile solution-based method. Detailed investigation of the growth process indicates that α-Cu2S nanocrystals are first formed and then serve as a catalyst to introduce the Cu, Zn, and Sn species into the nanoleaf growth for fast ionic conduction. The structure of the as-synthesized nanoleaves is characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, fast Fourier transform, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping. Photoresponses of Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoleaves are evaluated by I-V curves of a Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoleaf film. It is believed that the enhancement of the photoresponse current of the Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoleaf film can be attributed to fast carrier transport due to the single crystalline nature and enhanced light absorption resulting from larger absorption areas of the Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoleaves.