Dissolution of Sn, SnO, and SnS in a Thiol–Amine Solvent Mixture: Insights into the Identity of the Molecular Solutes for Solution-Processed SnS

Binary solvent mixtures of alkanethiols and 1,2-ethylenediamine have the ability to readily dissolve metals, metal chalcogenides, and metal oxides under ambient conditions to enable the facile solution processing of semiconductor inks; however, there is little information regarding the chemical identity of the resulting solutes. Herein, we examine the molecular solute formed after dissolution of Sn, SnO, and SnS in a binary solvent mixture comprised of 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT) and 1,2-ethylenediamine (en). Using a combination of solution ¹¹⁹Sn NMR and Raman spectroscopies, bis­(1,2-ethanedithiolate)­tin­(II) was identified as the likely molecular solute present after the dissolution of Sn, SnO, and SnS in EDT–en, despite the different bulk material compositions and oxidation states (Sn⁰ and Sn²⁺). All three semiconductor inks can be converted to phase-pure, orthorhombic SnS after a mild annealing step (∼350 °C). This highlights the ability of the EDT–en solvent mixture to dissolve and convert a variety of low-cost precursors to SnS semiconductor material.