High-quality ultralong Sb2S3 nanoribbons on large scale.

Large-scale, ultralong, single-crystalline Sb2S3 nanoribbons were prepared by directly reacting SbCl3 and Na2S2O3 solutions, without any organics used in the experiment. The nanoribbons were analyzed by a range of methods. The nanoribbons are usually several millimeters in length, typically 200-500 nm in width and 30-80 nm in thickness. The structure of the nanoribbons is determined to be of the orthorhombic phase. The growth mechanism of the nanoribbons was investigated based on high-resolution transmission electron microscopy observations. Optical absorption experiment shows that the nanoribbon is a semiconductor with a bandwidth Eg approximately 1.5 eV, near to the optimum for photovoltaic conversion, suggesting that Sb2S3 nanoribbons could be used in solar energy and photoelectronic applications.