Germanium Disulfide (GeS2) Powder and Crystals

Germanium disulfide (GeS₂) belongs to the group IV layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs).  A promising anisotropic semiconductor with unique vdW structure, germanium disulfide is currently of particular research interest into its potential in energy storage applications such as solid state batteries.

Unlike SnS₂ or SnSe₂ which has a simple 1T structure with the central Sn atoms are octahedrally coordinated by six outer S/Se atoms, GeS₂ has more complex structure. GeS₂ has a layered structure with tetrahedral coordination with complex structural patterns, containing 48 atoms in the bulk unit cell (space group P21/c). In these structures, each layer is composed of eight distorted, edge- and corner-sharing tetrahedral [GeS₄ ] motifs in one unit cell.

Nanoflakes of 2D GeS₂ with a thickness of 4.2 nm achieved via mechanical exfoliation is expected to show strong in-plane anisotropy in electrical, optical, and mechanical properties and has been used as polarization-sensitive photo-detectors in the short wave region.

 We supply low price germanium disulfide in several different forms for a range of applications.

Germanium Disulfide Powder

Can be used for preparation of germanium disulfide nanoplates and ultrathin films

Sold by weight

≥99.995% purity

From £200

Germanium Disulfide by Size

Can be used to produce single or few-layer germanium disulfide sheets via mechanical or liquid exfoliation

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

≥99.999% purity

From £620

*Typical representative size, areas/dimensions may vary

Bulk single germanium disulfide crystal is most commonly used as sources from which single or few-layer sheets can be obtained via either mechanical or liquid exfoliation. 

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Germanium disulfide powder can also be used to prepare GeS₂ nanosheets and nanoparticles by liquid-exfoliation (normally assisted by sonication). 

Key Product Data

• High purity, low price Germanium disulfide
• Available as a powder or as individual crystals
• Can be used to produce single or few-layer sheets
• Free worldwide shipping on qualifying orders

Structure of Germanium Disulfide

GeS₂ crystallizes in the tetragonal P4_2/nmc space group. The structure is two-dimensional and consists of two GeS₂ sheets oriented in the (0, 0, 1) direction. Ge⁴⁺ is bonded to four equivalent S^2- atoms to form corner-sharing GeS₄ tetrahedra. All Ge–S bond lengths are 2.27 Å. S^2- is bonded in a water-like geometry to two equivalent Ge⁴⁺ atoms.

Tetragonal GeS₂ is considered a structure of high symmetry: a GeS₂ monolayer in which all tetrahedra are connected via corners, resulting in a much more ordered arrangement. This structure corresponds to a single slab of the high-pressure, layer-structured, tetragonal HgI₂-type phase.

Properties of Germanium Disulfide

After exfoliation of crystals or powder, germanium disulfide typically has the following properties:

• Group IV layered metal dichalcogenides
• Tetragonal (HgI₂-type) crystal structure (Space group P4_2/nmc)
• Strong in-plane anisotropy
• Great candidate for both memory and energy storage

Germanium Disulfide Applications

Germanium disulfide single crystals can be used to prepare monolayer and few-layer GeS₂ by mechanical or liquid exfoliation. Germanium disulfide powder is suitable for liquid chemical exfoliation to prepare GeS₂ nanosheets and nanoparticles down to few-layer films. 

Germanium disulfide is of great interest in application of electrode material for batteries in energy storage devices.

Germanium disulfide is of particular interest for energy storage, i.e. cutting-edge solid state battery application with potential value in the production of cathodes for batteries. 2D germanium disulfide in its nanoforms or together with graphene as nanocomposites also has great potential as an anode material for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries. It has been demonstrated that GeS₂/rGO hybrid anode gives a beyond-theoretical-capacity high reversible specific capacity of 805 mA h g⁻¹, an excellent rate capability of 616 mA h g⁻¹ at 5 A g⁻¹, and a cycle retention of 89.4% after 100 cycles. GeS₂/rGO hybrid anodes gives the rise of a new approach for developing high-performance energy storage applications.

Thanks to its large infrared optical transmission window, GeS₂ finds applications for night vision, acusto-optical modulators, chemical sensors, mid-infrared light delivery, thermal imaging, environmental monitoring, integrated optics.

Like many other 2D metal sulfides, germanium disulfide nanoparticles can serve as a potential photocatalyst for H₂ evolution. Ultralow switching voltage and power consumption of GeS₂ thin film enable applications of GeS₂ for low energy RRAM device.

Processing Germanium Disulfide

Viscoelastic transfer using PDMS

Literature and Reviews

• Highly reversible and superior Li-storage characteristics of layered GeS2 and its amorphous composites, G-K. Sung et al., CS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 8, 43, 29543–29550 (2016); DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b10994.
• Sub-Angstrom Characterization of the Structural Origin for High In-Plane Anisotropy in 2D GeS2, X. Wang et al., ACS Nano, 14, 4456−4462 (2020); DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b10057.
• Establishing the structure of GeS2 at high pressures and temperatures: a combined approach using x-ray and neutron diffraction, A. Zeidler et al., J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 21 , 474217 (2009); DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/21/47/474217.
• A Robust Approach for Efficient Sodium Storage of GeS2 Hybrid Anode by Electrochemically Driven Amorphization, J-H. Kim et al., Adv. Energy Mater., 8, 1703499 (2018); DOI: 10.1002/aenm.201703499.
• Preparation of GeS2/graphene nanocomposite with high lithium storage capacity, S. Kang et al., ICSMIM (2015); DOI: 10.2991/icsmim-15.2016.28.
• Spectroscopic evidence of coexistence of clusters based on low (α) and high temperature (β) GeS2 crystalline phases in glassy germanium disulfide matrix, V. Mitsa et al., MIPRO 2014/MEET, DOI:10.1109/MIPRO.2014.6859522.
• Composite Sulfur Electrode for All-solid-state Lithium–sulfur Battery with Li2S–GeS2–P2S5-based Thio-LISICON Solid Electrolyte, K. Suzuki et al., Electrochem., 86, 1-5 (2018); DOI: 10.5796/electrochemistry.17-00055.
• Booming Development of Group IV–VI Semiconductors: Fresh Blood of 2D Family, X. Zhou et al., Booming Development of Group IV–VI Semiconductors: Fresh Blood of 2D Family, X. Zhou et al., Adv. Sci., 3, 1600177 (2016); DOI: 10.1002/advs.201600177.
• The Verification of Thermoelectric Performance Obtained by High-Throughput Calculations: The Case of GeS2 Monolayer From First-Principles Calculations, X. Wang et al., ront. Mater., 709757 (2021); DOI: 10.3389/fmats.2021.709757.
• Ultralow switching voltage and power consumption of GeS2 thin film resistive switching memory, N. Lyapunov et al., J. Adv. Dielectr., 11, 2150004 (2021); DOI: 10.1142/S2010135X21500041.