Hydrothermal synthesis, characterization and properties of SnS nanoflowers

Novel tin (II) sulfide (SnS) nanoflowers were successfully synthesized via a simple thioglycollic acid (TGA)-assisted hydrothermal process at 250 °C. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometry were employed to characterize the structure, morphology and chemical composition of the product, the results of which reveal that the product is composed of well crystallized orthorhombic SnS nanoflowers. The band gaps were obtained by analyzing UV-vis absorption spectrum; herein, the direct and indirect optical band gaps are 1.53 and 1.43 eV, respectively. Furthermore, we discussed critical factors (e.g., TGA, SnCl2/Na2S mol ratio of the reactants, hydrothermal temperature, and sulfur source) for hydrothermal formation of the SnS nanoflowers.