Low-temperature synthesis of NaInS2 nanoplate layered structure by one-step solvothermal decomposition of In(S2CNEt2)3 complex

Abstract In this paper, a single-source precursor, In(S 2 CNEt 2 ) 3 complex, with excellent thermal stability, has been used to synthesize NaInS 2 microsphere by a one-step solvothermal method at a very low temperature of 140 °C. XRD measurement results show that the achieved NaInS 2 microspheres were well-crystallized with a rhombohedral structure. FE-SEM pictures demonstrate the nanoplate layered structure of the sample. The length and thickness of NaInS 2 nanoplates were 50–500 nm and 16 nm, respectively. Because of high surface energy, the nanoplates aggregated into microspheres with a diameter of 0.5–2 μm. According to diffuse reflectance spectrum, NaInS 2 microspheres were proved to have strong absorption towards the light whose wavelength is less than 400 nm (absorption boundary at 400 nm). This absorption boundary showed a blue-shift of 50 nm compared to the one of micro-sized NaInS 2 , which can be attributed to the quantum size effect of nanoplates.