Iron Pyrite Nanocrystal Inks: Solvothermal Synthesis, Digestive Ripening, and Reaction Mechanism

Abstract

Colloidal iron pyrite nanocrystals (or FeS 2 NC inks) are desirable as active materials in lithium ion batteries and photovoltaics and are particularly suitable for large-scale, roll-to-roll deposition or inkjet printing. However, to date, FeS 2 NC inks have only been synthesized using the hot-injection technique, which requires air-free conditions and may not be desirable at an industrial scale. Here, we report the synthesis of monodisperse, colloidal, spherical, and phase-pure FeS 2 NCs of 5.5 ± 0.3 nm in diameter via a scalable solvothermal method using iron diethyldithiocarbamate as the precursor, combined with a postdigestive ripening process. The phase purity and crystallinity are determined using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, far-infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy techniques. Through this study, a hypothesis has been verified that solvothermal syntheses can also produce FeS 2 NC inks by incorporating three experimental conditions: high solubility of the precursor, efficient mass transport, and sufficient stabilizing ligands. The addition of ligands and stirring decrease the NC size and led to a narrow size distribution. Moreover, using density functional theory calculations, we have identified an acid-mediated decomposition of the precursor as the initial and critical step in the synthesis of FeS 2 from iron diethyldithiocarbamate.