Indium(III) sulfide

Indium(III) sulfide (Indium sesquisulfide, Indium sulfide (2:3), Indium (3+) sulfide) is the inorganic compound with the formula In2S3. Indium(III) sulfide (Indium sesquisulfide, Indium sulfide (2:3), Indium (3+) sulfide) is the inorganic compound with the formula In2S3. It has a 'rotten egg' odor characteristic of sulfur compounds, and produces hydrogen sulfide gas when reacted with mineral acids. Three different structures ('polymorphs') are known: yellow, α-In2S3 has a defect cubic structure, red β-In2S3 has a defect spinel, tetragonal, structure, and γ-In2S3 has a layered structure. The red, β, form is considered to be the most stable form at room temperature, although the yellow form may be present depending on the method of production. In2S3 is attacked by acids and by sulfide. It is slightly soluble in Na2S. Indium sulfide was the first indium compound ever described, being reported in 1863. Reich and Richter determined the existence of indium as a new element from the sulfide precipitate. In2S3 features tetrahedral In(III) centers linked to four sulfido ligands. α-In2S3 has a defect cubic structure. The polymorph undergoes a phase transition at 420 °C and converts to the spinel structure of β-In2S3. Another phase transition at 740 °C produces the layered γ-In2S3 polymorph. β-In2S3 has a defect spinel structure. The sulfide anions are closely packed in layers, with octahedrally-coordinated In(III) cations present within the layers, and tetrahedrally-coordinated In(III) cations between them. A portion of the tetrahedral interstices are vacant, which leads to the defects in the spinel. β-In2S3 has two subtypes. In the T-In2S3 subtype, the tetragonally-coordinated vacancies are in an ordered arrangement, whereas the vacancies in C-In2S3 are disordered. The disordered subtype of β-In2S3 shows activity for photocatalytic H2 production with a noble metal cocatalyst, but the ordered subtype does not. β-In2S3 is an N-type semiconductor with an optical band gap of 2.1 eV. It has been proposed to replace the hazardous cadmium sulfide, CdS, as a buffer layer in solar cells, and as an additional semiconductor to increase the performance of TiO2-based photovoltaics.