Adsorption and sensing properties of microporous layered tin sulfide materials

The adsorption and sensing behavior of three structurally well defined microporous layered tin sulfides R2Sn3S7, denoted DABCOH-SnS-1, ATEA-SnS-1 and TEA-SnS-1, have been explored. In the case of small non-polar guests a micropore-filling process is observed, whereas for certain larger guests an integration of micropore-filling and intercalation is found to occur. The former is controlled by the size while the latter depends on the adsorption properties of the guest molecules. It seems that guests with a propensity for hydrogen bonding are favored for intercalation. Electrical and optical responses with respect to adsorption of specific guests, such as NH3, H2S and alcohols, show high sensitivity, reversibility and fast reaction times that are comparable to some commercial semiconductor sensors. This makes microporous layered tin sulfides potentially interesting in environmental, industrial and biomedical monitoring.