Bismuth Sulfide (Bi2S3) Powders and Crystal

Bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃, also known as bismuth(III) sulfide or bismuth trisulfide) belongs to group 15 (VA) post-transition metal trichalcogenides (TMTCs). Orthorhombic structured bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃) is a non-toxic n-type semiconductor material containing environmentally benign elements bismuth and sulfur. Stoichiometric Bi₂S₃ has a layered structure form of atomic scale ribbons which are bound by van der Waals forces. The structure of Bi₂S₃ favours the formation of one-dimensional nanostructures such as nano-wires, rods, tubes and ribbons.

Ultralong nanoribbons with lengths of up to millimeters can be obtained in a large scale via a solvothermal process by using a mixture of aqueous NaOH solution in glycerol. Ultrathin corrugated nanosheets can also be achieved by using a hydrazine salt based liquid phase exfoliation process. However, sulfur vacancies occur that alters the stoichiometry of the material to a chemical formula of Bi₂S_2.6 during the process of chemical exfoliation.

Bi₂S₃ is a direct bandgap semiconducting with bandgap of 1.3 eV and large absorption coefficient of 10⁵ cm^-1.

We supply low price bismuth sulfide in several different forms for a range of applications.

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Non-toxic n-type semiconductor

Bismuth Sulfide Powder

Can be used for preparation of bismuth sulfide nanoplates and ultrathin films

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≥99.995% purity

From £350

Bismuth Sulfide Crystals by Size

Can be used to produce single or few-layer bismuth sulfide sheets via mechanical or liquid exfoliation

Small (≥10 mm²) or medium (≥25 mm²) crystals available*

≥99.999% purity

From £520

*Typical representative size, areas/dimensions may vary

Bulk single bismuth sulfide crystals are most commonly used as sources from which single or few-layer sheets can be obtained via either mechanical or liquid exfoliation. Single bismuth sulfide crystal or films produced from such crystals are suitable for study using atomic force microscopy or transmission electron microscopy

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Structure of Bismuth Sulfide

Similar to other 2D crystals such as graphite, MoS₂ and TiS₂. Bi₂S₃ has a layered structure where layers are stacked together via van der Waals (vdW) interactions thus can be peeled into ultrathin layers by either mechanical or wet chemical exfoliation. It belongs to the Pnma space group with an orthorhombic unit cell that contains 20 atoms. The crystal structure is strongly anisotropic, consisting in tightly bonded units of Bi₄S₆ (also called ribbons) in an herringbone arrangement.

The structure of Bi₂S₃ favours the formation of one-dimensional nanostructures such as nano-wires, rods, tubes and ribbons.

Properties of 2D Bismuth Sulfide

After exfoliation of crystals or powder, bismuth sulfide typically has the following properties:

• ‎Orthorhombic structure (space group: Pnma)
• Non-toxic n-type semiconductor material containing environmentally benign elements bismuth and sulfur
• Bi₂S₃ is a direct bandgap semiconducting with bandgap of 1.3 eV
• Bi₂S₃ favours the formation of one-dimensional nanostructures such as nano-wires, rods, tubes and ribbons

Applications of Bismuth Sulfide

Bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃) single crystals can be used to prepare monolayer and few-layer Bi₂S₃ by mechanical or liquid exfoliation. 

Bismuth sulfide powder is suitable for liquid chemical exfoliation to prepare Bi₂S₃ nanosheets and nanoparticles down to few-layer films. 10% deionized water in 90% isopropyl alcohol is the best mixed solvent for the efficient and effective exfoliation of layered Bi₂S₃ nanosheets.

With a favourable band gap of 1.3 eV which lies near the near infrared and also a relatively large absorption coefficient, bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃) finds applications in solution processed thermoelectrics, photodetectors, photosensitizers, solar cells and supercapacitors. Bi₂S₃ is also an interesting candidate for or polymer–nanoparticle hybrid solar cells.

Literature and Reviews

• Electronic Properties and Quantum Confinement in Bi2S3 Ribbon-Like Nanostructures, V. Calzia et al., J. Phys. Chem. C, 117 (42), 21923-21929 (2013); doi: 10.1021/jp405740b.
• Sensitive Solution-Processed Bi2S3 Nanocrystalline Photodetectors, Nano Lett., 8 (11), 4002-4006 (2008); doi: 10.1021/nl802600z.
• Bi2S3 Liquid-Junction Semiconductor-Sensitized SnO2 Solar Cells, Y. Lin et al., J. Electrochem. Soc.,· 161 (1) H1-H5 (2014); DOI: 10.1149/2.002401jes.
• Crystal structure and transporting properties of Bi2S3 under high pressure: Experimental and theoretical studies, C. Li et al., J. Alloy. Compd., 688, 329e335 (2016); doi: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2016.06.276.
• Exploring the PbS−Bi2S3 Series for Next Generation Energy Conversion Materials, C. Savory et al., Chem. Mater., 29, 5156−5167 (2017); DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b00628.
• Efficient mixed-solvent exfoliation of few-quintuple layer Bi2S3 and its photoelectric response, Y Guo et al., Nanotechnology, 28(33):335602 (2017); doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa79ce.
• Bi2S3 nanoparticles anchored on graphene nanosheets with superior electrochemical performance for supercapacitors, H. Lu et al., Mater. Res. Bull. (2017), doi: 10.1016/j.materresbull.2017.05.047.
• Engineering Vacancies in Bi2S3 yields sub-Bandgap Photoresponse and highly sensitive Short-Wave Infrared Photodetectors, N. Huo et al., Adv. Opt. Mater., 7 (11), 1900258 (2019); doi: 10.1002/adom.201900258.
• Colloidal Bi2S3 Nanocrystals: Quantum Size Effects and Midgap States, M. Aresti et al., Adv. Funct. Mater. 2014; DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201303879.
• Solution-Processed Mesoscopic Bi2S3:Polymer Photoactive Layers, A. MacLachlan et al., ChemPhysChem, 15, 1019 – 1023 (2014); DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201301103.
• Large Scale Synthesis of Ultralong Bi2S3 Nanoribbons via a Solvothermal Process, Z. Liu et al., Adv. Mater., 15, 936 (2003); doi: 10.1002/adma.200304693.