Morphological variations in Bi(2)S(3) nanoparticles synthesized by using a single source precursor

A simple solvothermal decomposition of bismuth dithiocarbamate complex in oleylamine, oleic acid, and hexadecylamine at 180 °C, yielded bismuth sulphide nanomaterials of different morphologies represented as Bi(2)S(3)(OAm), Bi(2)S(3)(OAc) and Bi(2)S(3)(HDA) respectively. The bismuth complex, used as the single source precursor, was synthesized and characterised by elemental analysis, FTIR, and NMR spectroscopic techniques. The spectroscopic and micro analysis confirmed the proposed compound, while the as-prepared nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The effects of the different solvent media on the structural properties of the obtained Bi(2)S(3) were investigated. An orthorhombic phase bismuthinite of varying intensities were obtained, with an indication that a bias of orientations existed in the (2 1 1) crystallographic planes in the Bi(2)S(3)(OAm) compared to the characteristic (1 3 0) diffraction peak of Bi(2)S(3). The microscopic analysis showed a correlation between the nanoparticles' morphology and the type of solvent used, which also implied that the properties of Bi(2)S(3) were affected by the solvent medium.