Tin(II) sulfide
| Names | |
|---|---|
| IUPAC name
Tin(II) sulfide | |
| Other names
Tin monosulfide Herzenbergite | |
| Identifiers | |
1314-95-0  | |
| 3D model (Jmol) | Interactive image |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.013.863 |
| EC Number | 215-248-7 |
| PubChem | 426379 |
| |
| |
| Properties | |
| SnS | |
| Molar mass | 150.775 g/mol |
| Appearance | dark brown solid |
| Density | 5.22 g/cm3 |
| Melting point | 882 °C (1,620 °F; 1,155 K) |
| Boiling point | about 1230 ˚C |
| Insoluble | |
| Structure | |
| GeS type (orthorhombic), oP8 | |
| Pnma, No. 62 | |
| asymmetric 3-fold (strongly distorted octahedral) | |
| Hazards | |
| Main hazards | Irritant |
| Related compounds | |
| Other anions |
Tin(II) oxide Tin selenide Tin telluride |
| Other cations |
Carbon monosulfide Silicon monosulfide Germanium monosulfide Lead(II) sulfide |
| Related compounds |
Tin(IV) sulfide Tributyl tin sulfide |
| Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |
 verify (what is ?) | |
| Infobox references | |
Tin(II) sulfide is a chemical compound of tin and sulfur. The chemical formula is SnS. Its natural occurrence concerns herzenbergite, a rare mineral.
Synthesis
Tin(II) sulfide can be prepared by reacting tin with sulfur, or tin(II) chloride with hydrogen sulfide.
- Sn + S → SnS
- SnCl2 + H2S → SnS + 2HCl
Properties
Tin(II) sulfide is a brown solid, insoluble in water, but soluble in concentrated hydrochloric acid. Tin (II) sulfide is soluble in (NH4)2S. It has a layer structure similar to that of black phosphorus.[3] As per black phosphorus, tin(II) sulfide can be ultrasonically exfoliated in liquids to produce atomically thin semiconducting SnS sheets that have a wider optical band gap (>1.5 eV) compared to the bulk crystal.[4]
Photovoltaic Applications
Tin(II) sulfide is currently one of the leading candidates for absorber layers in next generation thin film solar cells. Currently, both Cadmium Telluride and CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Sulfide) are used as p-type absorber layers, but they are formulated from toxic, scarce constituents.[5] Tin(II) sulfide, by contrast, is formed from cheap, earth abundant elements, and is nontoxic. This material also has a high optical absorption coefficient, p-type conductivity, and a mid range direct band gap of 1.3-1.4 eV, required electronic properties for this type of absorber layer.[6] In fact, the energy conversion efficiency of tin(II) sulfide is projected to be 32%, comparable to crystalline silicon.[7] Finally, Tin(II) sulfide is stable in both alkaline and acidic conditions.[8] All aforementioned characteristics suggest tin(II) sulfide as an optimal material for solar cells.
At present, tin(II) sulfide thin films for use in photovoltaic cells are still in the research phase of development. Barriers for use include a low open circuit voltage and an inability to realize many of the above properties due to challenges in fabrication, but tin(II) sulfide still remains a promising material once technical challenges are overcome.[7]
References
- ↑ Record of Tin(II) sulfide in the GESTIS Substance Database of the IFA, accessed on 4/9/2007
- ↑ del Bucchia, S.; Jumas, J.C.; Maurin, M. (1981). "Contribution a l'etude de composes sulfures d'etain (II): Affinement de la structure de Sn S". Acta Crystallogr. B. 37: 1903. doi:10.1107/s0567740881007528.
- ↑ Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 1233. ISBN 0-08-037941-9.
- ↑ Brent et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2015, 137 (39), pp 12689–12696
- ↑ Ginley, D.; Green, M.A. (2008). "Solar energy conversion towards 1 terawatt". MRS Bulletin. 33.
- ↑ Andrade-Arvizu, Jacob A.; Courel-Piedrahita, Maykel; Vigil-Galán, Osvaldo (2015-04-14). "SnS-based thin film solar cells: perspectives over the last 25 years". Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics. 26 (7): 4541–4556. doi:10.1007/s10854-015-3050-z. ISSN 0957-4522.
- 1 2 Nair, P. K.; Garcia-Angelmo, A. R.; Nair, M. T. S. (2016-01-01). "Cubic and orthorhombic SnS thin-film absorbers for tin sulfide solar cells". physica status solidi (a). 213 (1): 170–177. doi:10.1002/pssa.201532426. ISSN 1862-6319.
- ↑ Sato, N.; Ichimura, E. (2003). "Characterization of electrical properties of SnS thin films prepared by the electrochemical deposition method". Proceedings of 3rd World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion. A.