Facile synthesis of monodisperse, size-tunable SnS nanoparticles potentially for solar cell energy conversion.

A simple strategy to synthesize monodisperse, single-crystalline and size-tunable SnS nanoparticles was reported. An active sulfur precursor bis(trimethylsilyl)sulfide was applied to enable fast nucleation of tin species in oleylamine. As-synthesized nanoparticles were easily dispersed in a non-polar organic solvent and formed a uniform solution which showed complete absorption of visible light. The smooth, dense-packed and crack-free SnS film was achieved by spin-coating that showed an enhanced photoresponse via methanol treatment. Owing to their noble merits, as-synthesized SnS nanoparticles could be a potential nanomaterial for solar cell application.