Metal Bis(benzylthiolates): Efficient Single Source Precursors to Solid Solutions and Nanoparticles of Metal Sulfides

Abstract

The preparation of solid solutions of the sulfides of zinc, cadmium, and lead has been attempted by low-temperature pyrolysis (150−400 °C) of metal bis(benzylthiolate) precursors. The (Zn,Cd)S shows solid solution behavior at 200−400 °C and crystallite sizes of ∼5 nm. The CdS−PbS system was also prepared by the precursor decomposition method, exhibiting interesting behavior in the lead-rich region. The 150 °C pyrolysis of Pb(SBn)2 leads to nanocrystalline (20−40 nm) PbS single crystals distributed throughout the nanocrystalline (∼2−5 nm) regions of CdS. Pyrolysis at 200 °C produced 40−60 nm PbS cubes dispersed throughout nanocrystalline (∼2−5 nm) CdS. The solids produced were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and elemental analysis.