Tin phosphides (e.g., SnxPy or SnP, Sn3P4, Sn4P3) nanomaterials are being investigated for their use as battery anode materials and in semiconducting applications. Critical to their successful application is the development of synthetic routes that provide tight control over the final product. Current efforts in generating tin phosphide nano materials have explored precursors such as tin(II) acetate or elemental phosphorus and tin. These commercial precursors require high temperatures and pressures as well as long heating times to achieve phase purity of nanoparticles. To explore an alternative precursor to lower processing conditions, tin(bis(bisdiisopropylphosphinoamide) [Sn[N(P-Pri2)2]2 was synthesized and used to generate tin (Sn0) and SnxPy nanomaterials. Phase information of the nanoparticles was studied by removing aliquots of the reactions at different intervals for temporal analysis. Powder X-ray diffraction on the isolated temporal products revealed how [Sn[N(P-Pri2)2]2 yields Sn0 and SnxPy nanomaterials. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the particles ranged in size from 50-100 nm for Sn0 and from 0.1-0.2 um for SnxPy depending on reaction parameters. Additionally, TGA data on [Sn[N(P-Pri2)2]2shows the breakdown of outside functional groups.Using solution precipitation methods [Sn[N(P-Pri2)2]2was combined with coordinating (e.g. oleylamine, trioctylphosphine oxide, trioctylphosphine) or non-coordinating solvents (octadecene) to determine how these solvents boiling points, polarity, and functional groups affected the final nanomaterial phase. Solvothermal methods were also tested where results supported the previous findings of solution precipitation methods using [Sn[N(P-Pri2)2]2.

Synthesis of tin phosphide and tin nanomaterials

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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