SnSe Research Articles

Facile synthesis of SnSe–MnTe nanocomposite as a promising electrode for supercapacitor applications

The biggest problems encountered by the world right now are energy demand and environmental damage because of the exploitation of fossil fuels. Producing and storing energy in an environment-friendly way is increasingly crucial due to the exhaustion of non-renewable resources. Developing a robust energy storing system is essential for efficient energy storage, specifically for renewable energy sources. In this study, tin selenide and manganese telluride (SnSe–MnTe) nanocomposite was synthesized via a sonication method for supercapacitor application. Different physical techniques confirmed the enhanced structural and morphological attributes observed for the SnSe–MnTe nanocomposite. During electrochemical investigations, the SnSe–MnTe nanocomposite exhibited specific capacitance, specific energy (SE) and specific power (SP) of 1502 F/g, 61.05 Wh/kg and 270.5 W/kg at 1.0 A/g, correspondingly. Furthermore, it exhibited outstanding cyclic stability, maintaining its performance across 5000th cycles in an electrolyte (2.0 M KOH). Compared to SnSe (1.25 Ω) and MnTe (0.69 Ω), the charge transfer resistance (Rct) value for SnSe–MnTe (0.3 Ω) was smaller calculated via Nyquist plot. Therefore, transition metal chalcogenide-based nanocomposite has an excellent potential as electrode material for supercapacitor (SCs) and it can also be utilized in different energy storage devices.

Integration of layered group IV selenides: From SnSe–SnSe2-xSx core-shell crystals to complex (SnSe–SnSe2-xSx)-GeSe van der waals heterostructures

The layered semiconductor tin selenide (SnSe) has received extensive interest due to its promising thermoelectric and ferroelectric properties. Integrating SnSe with other layered crystals in heterostructures can enable the modification of charge- and thermal transport, electrical polarization, and other properties such as chemical stability, optoelectronics, and photonics. Here, we demonstrate the vapor transport synthesis of single-crystalline SnSe monochalcogenide flakes that are spontaneously encapsulated in a thin layered SnSe2-xSx dichalcogenide shell. In a second growth step, such SnSe–SnSe2-xSx heterostructures are integrated with the monochalcogenide GeSe, which is laterally stitched to the SnSe side facets while preserving the dichalcogenide shell across the basal facets. This architecture is confirmed by optical microscopy, electron microscopy and diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray and Raman spectroscopies, as well as cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. The results extend our capabilities for materials integration by forming complex heterostructures with both vertical van der Waals interfaces and covalent lateral interfaces between layered semiconductors.

Visible-light-driven 2D carbonaceous-based SnSe nanohybrid soft materials: A photocatalyst for efficient photo reduction of malachite green dye

Preserving a healthy environment of air, land, and water requires the treatment of dangerous organic effluents. Efficiently degrading hazardous pollutants requires low-cost, high-absorption visible-light-driven photocatalysts. Furthermore, the tin selenide exhibited a tiny band gap that promotes the faster recombination of electrons and holes, and rGO shows restacking morphology that reduces the surface area of the materials. Both issues have been resolved by adding the rGO into SnSe to make an rGO/SnSe resolving the restacking issue and narrowing the band gap. In this research work, we report a hydrothermally synthesize tin selenide (SnSe) sustained on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets as photocatalysts. Our research focuses on the degradation of hazardous industrial malachite green dye. Our analysis suggests that the rGO/SnSe nanocomposite effectively degrades malachite green (MG) dyes by 95.52% compared to pure SnSe (83.52%). The rGO sheets facilitate electron (e-) excitation from the valence band (V.B) to the conduction band (C.B), which significantly enhances the photocatalytic performance. We also investigated the reusability of the photocatalyst and the mineralization activity of a malachite green (MG) pollutant to check the photocatalytic mechanism and stability. The reusability test indicates that rGO/SnSe exhibited excellent 86.45% stability. The scavenger’s analysis suggests that electrons (e-) and holes (h+) play a significant part in the photocatalytic mineralization of MG dye. Our research explores that the rGO/SnSe nanohybrid is a significant material for wastewater treatment, solar energy conversion as well as environmental restoration.

En Route to a Molecular Terminal Tin Oxide.

In the pursuit of terminal tin chalcogenides, heteroleptic stannylenes bearing terphenyl- and hexamethyldisilazide ligands were reacted with carbodiimides to yield the respective guanidinato complexes. Further supported by quantum chemical calculations, this revealed that the iso-propyl-substituted derivative provides the maximum steric protection achievable. Oxidation with elemental selenium produced monomeric terminal tin selenides with four-coordinate tin centers. In reactions with N2O as oxygen transfer reagent, silyl migration toward putative terminal tin oxide intermediates gave rise to tin complexes with terminal ─OSiMe3 functionality. To prevent silyl migration, the silyl groups were substituted with cyclohexyl moieties. This analogue exhibited distinctively different reactivities toward selenium and N2O, yielding a 1,2,3,4,5-tetraselenastannolane and chalcogenide-bridged dimeric compounds, respectively.

Phase-Centric MOCVD Enabled Synthetic Approaches for Wafer-Scale 2D Tin Selenides.

Following an initial nucleation stage at the flake level, atomically thin film growth of a van der Waals material is promoted by ultrafast lateral growth and prohibited vertical growth. To produce these highly anisotropic films, synthetic or post-synthetic modifications are required, or even a combination of both, to ensure large-area, pure-phase, and low-temperature deposition. A set of synthetic strategies is hereby presented to selectively produce wafer-scale tin selenides, SnSex (both x=1 and 2), in the 2D forms. The 2D-SnSe2 films with tuneable thicknesses are directly grown via metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) at 200°C, and they exhibit outstanding crystallinities and phase homogeneities and consistent film thickness across the entire wafer. This is enabled by excellent control of the volatile metal-organic precursors and decoupled dual-temperature regimes for high-temperature ligand cracking and low-temperature growth. In contrast, SnSe, which intrinsically inhibited from 2D growth, is indirectly prepared by a thermally driven phase transition of an as-grown 2D-SnSe2 film with all the benefits of the MOCVD technique. It is accompanied by the electronic n-type to p-type crossover at the wafer scale. These tailor-made synthetic routes will accelerate the low-thermal-budget production of multiphase 2D materials in a reliable and scalable fashion.

Thermoelectric Methylene Blue Degradation by SnSe-Doped Low-Content Copper

In important applications, thermoelectric technology has been widely applied for precise temperature control in intelligent electronics. This work synthesized and characterized low-content copper-doped SnSe thermoelectric catalysts using an easy and effective hydrothermal method. It was discovered that doping increased the crystal plane spacing of SnSe, increased the carrier concentration, and improved the thermoelectric properties. The best degradation was attained at x = 0.0025. The thermoelectric degradation performance of low-dose copper-doped tin selenide Sn1−xCuxSe (x = 0, 0.0005, 0.001, 0.0015, 0.002, 0.0025, 0.003), for the degradation of methylene blue from organic wastewater at 75 °C, was examined. Our research indicates that by using this approach, we can create more high-performance catalysts.

Electronic, Mechanical, and thermoelectric properties of Ge/Zn co-doped SnSe: first-principles calculations

Materials based on tin selenide have attracted significant attention due to their unique properties, particularly their high ZT value. This study investigates the impact of co-doping Germanium and Zinc on the electronic, mechanical, and thermoelectric properties of SnSe crystal using first-principles calculations. The doped structure demonstrated a p-type semiconducting behavior with a triclinic stable structure, which was predicted by the calculated elastic constants. Thermoelectric properties were studied for both doped and undoped systems across a wide range of carrier concentrations and temperatures. Results showed that co-doping SnSe with Ge/Zn reduced electronic thermal conductivity at room temperature while simultaneously doubling the Seebeck coefficient. This promising combination of features suggests high thermoelectric performance for the material.

Investigation on thermoelectric properties of SnSe thin films as prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

In this work, we investigated the thermoelectric properties of SnSe (Tin Selenide) thin films onto SiO2/Si-wafer substrates as prepared by RF (radio frequency) magnetron sputtering technique. The sputtering conditions used base pressure below 5.5 10-4 Pa and working pressure at 0.93 Pa within the Ar atmosphere as a flow rate fixed 40 sccm. The RF sputtering power was applied at 80 W and sputtering time for 30 min. After thin film deposition, as-deposited thin films were annealed by the vacuum annealing method at 300-450 oC. The crystal structure, morphology and film thickness, and atomic composition of SnSe thin film were carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) techniques, respectively. The thermoelectric properties (electrical resistivity; ρ) and Seebeck coefficient; S) were measured by the ZEM-3 method to calculate the power factor (PF) value. The results showed that the as-deposited thin films had improved the crystallography of SnSe from amorphous to crystalline phases after thin films were annealed at a temperature range of 300-400 oC. At room temperature, the maximum power factor of 0.35 mW m˗1 K˗2 (ρ = 202 mΩ m and S = 165 μV K˗1) could be found to estimate the dimensionless Figure of Merit (ZT) values around 0.44 for annealing thin film sample at 400 oC.

Recent Progress and Challenges in Controlling Secondary Phases in Kesterite CZT(S/Se) Thin Films: A Critical Review

Kesterite-based copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) and copper zinc tin selenide (CZTSe) thin films have attracted considerable attention as promising materials for sustainable and cost-effective thin-film solar cells. However, the successful integration of these materials into photovoltaic devices is hindered by the coexistence of secondary phases, which can significantly affect device performance and stability. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress and challenges in controlling secondary phases in kesterite CZTS and CZTSe thin films. Drawing from relevant studies, we discuss state-of-the-art strategies and techniques employed to mitigate the formation of secondary phases. These include a range of deposition methods, such as electrodeposition, sol-gel, spray pyrolysis, evaporation, pulsed laser deposition, and sputtering, each presenting distinct benefits in enhancing phase purity. This study highlights the importance of employing various characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, for the precise identification of secondary phases in CZTS and CZTSe thin films. Furthermore, the review discusses innovative strategies and techniques aimed at mitigating the occurrence of secondary phases, including process optimization, compositional tuning, and post-deposition treatments. These approaches offer promising avenues for enhancing the purity and performance of kesterite-based thin-film solar cells. Challenges and open questions in this field are addressed, and potential future research directions are proposed. By comprehensively analyzing recent advancements, this review contributes to a deeper understanding of secondary phase-related issues in kesterite CZT(S/Se) thin films, paving the way for enhanced performance and commercial viability of thin-film solar cell technologies.

Synthesis, Characterization and Power Factor Estimation of SnSe Thin Film for Energy Harvesting Applications

In this work, a simple, cost-effective successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) deposition technique has been used to deposit a high-quality tin selenide (SnSe) thin film onto a glass substrate. Structural, morphologic, and thermoelectric properties have been characterized for the prepared thin film. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results of the SnSe thin film reveal an orthorhombic structure phase. The morphological properties of the prepared thin films have been studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The stoichiometric composition of the deposited thin film and the elemental binding energies of the Sn and Se elements have been investigated with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectrum of the SnSe thin film displays vibrational modes of chalcogenides bonds. These results suggest that the developed thin film is crystalline, uniform, and without impurities and is appropriate for energy harvesting applications. The prepared thin film’s Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity were estimated through ZEM-3 from room temperature to 600 K. The power factor was evaluated. A substantially high electrical conductivity is observed, which decreases somewhat with temperature, suggesting a semimetal conducting transport—the absolute values of the Seebeck coefficient increase with temperature. The resulting power factor showed the highest values near room temperature and a somewhat decreasing trend as the temperature increased. Despite lower values of the Seebeck coefficient, the substantially enhanced power factor is due to the higher electrical conductivity of the thin film, superior to that reported previously. This precursor study demonstrates promising results for developing high-performance flexible thermoelectric devices via a simple and facile SILAR strategy.

Enhancing Electrical Transport Performance of Polycrystalline Tin Selenide by Doping Different Elements

In the face of ever‐evolving energy and environmental challenges, tin selenide (SnSe) has garnered significant attention due to its outstanding thermoelectric performance. The article focuses on the research of easily accessible and highly practical polycrystalline SnSe thermoelectric materials, providing an overview of their crystal structure, band structure, and electrical transport performance. Compared with previous studies, this research classifies elements based on their own properties, mainly dividing them into alkali metals, transition metals, main group metals, halogens, and rare earth (Re) elements. The study systematically summarizes the experimental results of doping SnSe with these elements and analyzes the mechanisms by which different elements enhance the electrical transport performance and thermoelectric figure of merit of polycrystalline SnSe. The enhanced mechanism is mainly achieved by increasing the conductivity and Seebeck coefficient. Finally, a systematic analysis is conducted to identify the factors that improve electrical transport performance, and strategies for enhancing the electrical transport and thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline SnSe through precise doping techniques are discussed, with a prospect for their application in the future.

Unfolding the potassium storage mechanism of tin selenides

Tin selenides have attracted great attention as anode materials for alkali metal ion batteries in recent years because of the high theoretical capacity. However, there is currently few literatures on the application of tin selenides in potassium ion battery, and the comparative research on the actual potassium storage mechanism of different tin selenides is rarely reported. Herein, tin selenides including SnSe2@C and SnSe@C are synthesized by regulating the selenization temperature, and their potassium storage performance and the mechanism have been comparatively investigated with various physicochemical techniques as well as operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It is revealed that the better potassium storage performance of SnSe2@C is mainly due to the generation of highly conductive Se during the first depotassiation process, which not only participates in the subsequent potassiation/depotassiation process, but also improves the conductivity of electrode and facilitates the kinetics of K+. While the sluggish kinetics and partial irreversible decomposition of KxSe lead to the inferior potassium storage performance of SnSe@C.

Effectively coupling of SnSe2nanosheet with N, Se co-doped carbon nanofibers as self-standing anode for lithium-ion batteries.

Tin selenides possess layered structure and high theoretical capacity, which is considered as desirable anode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, its further development is limited by the low intrinsic electrical conductivity and sluggish reaction kinetics. Herein, a well-designed structure of SnSe2nanosheet attached on N, Se co-doped carbon nanofibers (SnSe2@CNFs) is fabricated as self-standing anodes for lithium-ion batteries. The integration of structural engineering and heteroatom doping enables accelerated electrons transfer and rapid ion diffusion for boosting Li+storage performance. Impressively, the flexible SnSe2@CNFs anodes exhibit inspiring capacity of 837.7 mAh g-1after 800 cycles at 1.2 C with coulombic efficiency almost 100% and superior rate performance 419.5 mAh g-1at 2.4 C. The kinetics analysis demonstrates the pseudocapacitive characteristic of SnSe2@CNFs promotes the storage property. This work sheds light on the hierarchical electrode construction towards high-performance energy storage applications.

The impact of annealing on the optoelectronic properties of tin selenide thin films for photovoltaics

In this study, Tin selenide (SnSe) was prepared via thermal evaporation from tin ingots and selenium powder followed by annealing at 250°C in an inert atmosphere of Argon gas. Two samples were used for characterization purposes, as-deposited and annealed. The structural parameters including particle size, strain, dislocation density, and number of crystallites per unit area were calculated from XRD while the optical properties including band gap were extracted from UV-visible spectroscopy. Four probe techniques were used to measure the electrical properties.

Broadband nonlinear optical response and sub-picosecond carrier dynamics in graphene-SnSe2 van der Waals heterostructures.

The van der Waals (vdWs) heterostructures, with vertical layer stacking structure of various two-dimensional (2D) materials, maintain the reliable photonic characteristics while compensating the shortcomings of the participating individual components. In this work, we combine the less-studied multilayer tin selenide (SnSe2) thin film with one of the traditional 2D materials, graphene, to fabricate the graphene-based vdWs optical switching element (Gr-SnSe2) with superior broadband nonlinear optical response. The transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) measurement results verify that graphene acts as the recombination channel for the photogenerated carrier in the Gr-SnSe2 sample, and the fast recovery time can be reduced to hundreds of femtoseconds which is beneficial for the optical modulation process. The optical switching properties are characterized by the I-scan measurements, exhibiting a saturable energy intensity of 2.82 mJ·cm-2 (0.425 µJ·cm-2) and a modulation depth of 15.6% (22.5%) at the wavelength of 1030 nm (1980nm). Through integrating Gr-SnSe2 with a cladding waveguide, high-performance picosecond Q-switched operation in the near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectral regions are both achieved. This work experimentally demonstrates the great potential of graphene-based vdWs heterostructures for applications in broadband ultrafast photonics.

A Rooted Multifunctional Heterogeneous Interphase Layer Enabled by Surface‐Reconstruction for Highly Durable Sodium Metal Anodes

AbstractSodium plating–stripping with high reversibility is still an intractable challenge for sodium metal‐based batteries due to the fragile natural solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) film and severe Na dendrites growth. Herein, a surface reconstruction strategy is proposed and a rooted heterogeneous interlayer derived from in situ reactions between tin selenide and Na metal (abbr. Na/SnSe) is produced to regulate Na+ deposition behavior and impede dendrite growth. The high sodiophilic Na15Sn4 component demonstrates the robust combination and dendrite suppression capability, inhibiting fracture and delamination problems during volume variation. Meanwhile, the superionic Na2Se ingredient contributes to the optimized Na+ conduction efficiency and low nucleation overpotential, enabling uniform distribution of electrical fields and ultimately eliminating Na dendrites. Consequently, the reconfigured multifunctional Na/SnSe interphase realizes a long‐term lifespan over 2400 h at 0.5 mA cm−2/1 mAh cm−2 in symmetric cell with an extremely low voltage hysteresis. Moreover, the assembled Na/SnSe||NaNi1/3Fe1/3Mn1/3O2 pouch cell achieves exceptional cycling stability and capacity retention (90.4 mAh g−1 after 1800 cycles at a high current density of 2 A g−1), exploiting an avenue for designing durable SEI layer and high‐quality sodium metal batteries.

Modeling and efficiency enhancement of SnSe thin film solar cell with a thin CIS layer

Research has been conducted on a solar cell utilizing Tin Selenide (SnSe) as the absorber material having a structure of n-CdS/p-SnSe/p+-CuInSe2/p++-WSe2 with CuInSe2 (CIS) current augmenting and WSe2 back surface field (BSF) layers. The various parameters in CdS, SnSe, CIS, and WSe2 layers have been adjusted methodically for the optimum output. Under the optimum conditions, the proposed n-CdS/p-SnSe solar cell showcases a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.12 % with VOC = 0.788 V, JSC = 38.62 mA/cm2, and FF = 85.78 %. The PCE of the device enhances to 33.88 % with VOC = 1.09 V, JSC = 38.64 mA/cm2, and FF = 80.24 % owing to the incorporation of the WSe2 BSF layer. However, a conjunction of the CIS layer with the SnSe achieves a higher JSC of 42.54 mA/cm2 and a PCE of 36.45 %. These in-depth simulation findings demonstrate the enormous potential of the SnSe absorber with the CIS current boosting layer for the creation of a thin film solar cell that is both affordable and highly efficient.

Highly Enhanced Photocatalytic Properties of Tin Selenide Nanopowders by Microstructure Modulation

Highly Enhanced Photocatalytic Properties of Tin Selenide Nanopowders by Microstructure Modulation

Visible-range and self-powered photodetectors with SnSe nanostructures: The influence of copper concentrations and ultrasound waves irradiation on optoelectronic performance

Recent studies on tin selenide (SnSe) nanostructures have primarily focused on their thermoelectric performance, with limited attention given to their optoelectronic potential. In this study, we investigate the physical and optoelectronic properties of SnSe nanostructures with varying concentration of Cu doping and exposure to ultrasound radiation. The results reveal that increasing the concentration of the dopant element and utilizing ultrasound irradiation not only led to reduced stress and strain but also led to an increase in crystallite size. For instance, crystallite size increased dramatically up to 8.96 nm and 17.54 nm for doping and radiation of ultrasound waves in comparison to the undoped SnSe, respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) results indicate the presence of nanorods accompanied by agglomerated particles dispersed throughout all samples. The extent of doping and the parameters related to ultrasound irradiation significantly influence the shapes of these nanostructures. Photoluminescence (PL) analysis demonstrates that these influential parameters cause shifts in emission bands and changes in their intensity. Absorption spectra measurements in the range of 200–1100 nm reveal an increase in absorption due to the influence of effective parameters. Furthermore, alterations in the optical energy band gap (Eg) indicate that it enhanced within the range of 1 to 1.68 eV. The I-V characteristics results show that these influential parameters contribute to the enhancement of responsivity (0.369 to 0.467 mA/W) and sensitivity (572% to 1826%). The specific detectivity ranges from 2.90 to 10.60 × 10+9 Jones. These effective parameters also have a favorable impact on mobility, ideality factor, and carrier concentration.

Thermoelectric Properties of Annealed Bilayer SnSe/PbTe and SnSe/PbSe Thin Films by Thermal Evaporation Method

Tin Selenide, Lead Selenide, and Lead Telluride are known best thermoelectric materials for mid and high-temperature electric generation applications. The bilayer of these materials could enhance the quality of a thermoelectric generation. The present work deals with bilayer deposition of SnSe/PbTe and SnSe/PbSe in glass substrates using physical vapor deposition followed by annealing at 323K, 423K, and 523K. The structure and morphology of the films have been investigated by XRD, SEM, and FESEM studies. The thermoelectric pursuance of both bilayer thin films was studied with the temperature as a function in the range of 300K to 623K. Both films exhibit the maximum Seebeck coefficient. The electrical Conductivity and Power factor increased gradually for SnSe/PbTe thin films and SnSe/PbSe thin films for the samples annealed up to 573K and then decreases. The electronic thermal conductivity of both films was very low compared to the total thermal conductivity. The absolute thermal conductivity at room temperature was calculated by Transient Hot Wire (THW) method. The maximum Figure of Merit (ZT) value obtained for SnSe/PbTe and SnSe/PbSe at room temperature was 0.81 and 1.3 for 573K annealed thin films respectively.