Growth of bismuth sulfide nanowire using bismuth trisxanthate single source precursors

Crystalline Bi2S3 nanorods, nanotapes, and nanocrystals were obtained from the solvent thermalysis of bismuth trisxanthate precursors and related bismuth dithiocarbamate species in ethylene glycol at 197 degreesC. Precursors with different structural motifs were designed to produce compounds with different thermal decomposition temparatures, i.e., the dimeric motif of Bi(S2COR)(3) when R = methyl and ethyl was found to have a lower decomposition temperature compared to precursors adopting the polymeric structure, so that solvothermalysis of the former gave rise to short nanocrystals; while in the case of the latter, long nanofibers were produced instead. Chemical vapor deposition on silicon substrates yielded well-defined nanorods of various lengths and diameters for almost all precursors. Internal microstructure of the nanorods was studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.