Tailoring the composition of nanostructured tin sulfide synthesized by a gas–liquid reaction method: Correlation with the relative permittivity of the solvent

Abstract A simple gas–liquid reaction method between H 2 S vapor and a SnCl 2 solution is employed for tin sulfide synthesis under standard conditions. Four different solvents, that present a distinct relative permittivity, have been used to dissolve the SnCl 2 salt: water, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, and 1,2-dichlorobenzene. From the EDXS, XPS, and XRD techniques, it is inferred that the products are composed of a mix of SnS and SnS 2 , being the composition strongly dependent on the type of solvent. It is concluded that a higher relative permittivity of the solvent, usually translated into a higher polarity, prevents the oxidation of tin(II) to tin(IV), thus diminishing the formation of the SnS 2 fraction in the tin sulfide product. Therefore, by employing solvents with different relative permittivity values it is possible to modulate the final composition of the nanostructured tin sulfide material synthesized by the gas–liquid reaction. This control is of utter importance for a wide range of applications of this semiconducting material.