Composition‐Dependent Wide‐Range Tunability of Optical and Electronic Properties in SnS <sub>x</sub> Se <sub>(2‐x)</sub> Alloy Nanosheets

Isovalent alloying in printable metal dichalcogenide nanomaterials enables precise, application-targeted property tuning. However, a scalable platform offering broad optical and electrical tunability has so far remained elusive. Herein, we establish a powder-based, solution-processed route to access the full domain of SnS<sub>x</sub>Se<sub>(2-x)</sub> alloy nanosheets, providing control over a wide range of properties through chalcogenide composition. The n-type nanosheet alloy series shows a wide spread in optical and in-plane electrical properties, ranging from 1.67 eV and low bandgap metallic-like behavior for 2D SnSe<sub>2</sub>, to 2.46 eV and wide bandgap semiconducting behavior with high-resistivity for 2D SnS<sub>2</sub>. The out-of-plane conductivity is also tunable, showing nonmonotonic behavior with an optimal chalcogenide ratio of x = 1.2 - 1.6. Using photoelectrochemistry as an example, we highlight how the interplay of these tunable properties enables optimized performance for targeted applications. The exceptional range of tailorable properties reported here provides a roadmap for tuning these alloys, thereby opening avenues for their potential application in a multitude of fields.

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Publication Details

Journal
Small
Published
2025-12-31
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202512066
Primary Topic
2D Materials and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Composition‐Dependent Wide‐Range Tunability of Optical and Electronic Properties in SnS x Se (2‐x) Alloy Nanosheets

Joseph Neilson, YeonJu Kim, Rebekah A. Wells, Nicolas J. Diercks et al.
Small
2D Materials and Applications
article

Composition‐Dependent Wide‐Range Tunability of Optical and Electronic Properties in SnS x Se (2‐x) Alloy Nanosheets

Joseph Neilson, YeonJu Kim, Rebekah A. Wells, Nicolas J. Diercks, Kevin Sivula, Prof. Dr. Laurens D. A. Siebbeles, Hannah Johnson, Jonathan Coleman, Goutam Ghosh, Jun‐Ho Yum, Shixin Liu, Tian Carey, Jack Doran
article en

Abstract

Isovalent alloying in printable metal dichalcogenide nanomaterials enables precise, application-targeted property tuning. However, a scalable platform offering broad optical and electrical tunability has so far remained elusive. Herein, we establish a powder-based, solution-processed route to access the full domain of SnS<sub>x</sub>Se<sub>(2-x)</sub> alloy nanosheets, providing control over a wide range of properties through chalcogenide composition. The n-type nanosheet alloy series shows a wide spread in optical and in-plane electrical properties, ranging from 1.67 eV and low bandgap metallic-like behavior for 2D SnSe<sub>2</sub>, to 2.46 eV and wide bandgap semiconducting behavior with high-resistivity for 2D SnS<sub>2</sub>. The out-of-plane conductivity is also tunable, showing nonmonotonic behavior with an optimal chalcogenide ratio of x = 1.2 - 1.6. Using photoelectrochemistry as an example, we highlight how the interplay of these tunable properties enables optimized performance for targeted applications. The exceptional range of tailorable properties reported here provides a roadmap for tuning these alloys, thereby opening avenues for their potential application in a multitude of fields.

SmallVol. 22(11)
Toyota Motor Corporation (Switzerland) (CH), Trinity College Dublin (IE), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH), Delft University of Technology (NL)
European Commission, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme
Openalex Percentile: Top 47%
2D Materials and Applications
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