Preparation of uniform Bi2S3 nanoribbons at a low temperature

Bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3) nanoribbons with uniform size have been prepared by the reaction of bismuth nitrate (Bi (NO3)(3)) and sodium O-isopropyldithiocarbonate (xanthate, C3H7OCSSNa in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) at 80 degrees C for 24 h. The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows the Bi2S3 crystals belong to the orthorhombic phase with calculated lattice constants a=1.1244, b=1.0520 and c=0.3372 nm. The energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis gives an atomic ratio of 2.1: 3.0 for Bi: S. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies reveal the appearance of as-prepared Bi2S3 crystals is ribbon-like with the typical lengths in the range of 2-5 mu m and the average diameter of ca. 40 nm. Finally the influences of the reaction conditions are discussed and a possible mechanism for the formation of Bi2S3 nanoribbons is proposed. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.