Structural and optical studies of silver sulfide nanoparticles from silver(I) dithiocarbamate complex: molecular structure of ethylphenyl dithiocarbamato silver(I)

ABSTRACT

We report the synthesis and crystal structure of ethylphenyl dithiocarbamato silver(I) complex. The compound crystallized as [Ag₄(EtphDTC)₄] in which four Ag(I) ions and four molecules of ethylphenyl dithiocarbamato ligands constitute the metal cluster in the asymmetric unit. Each ethylphenyl dithiocarbamato ligand in the cluster is bonded to three Ag(I) ions through the sulfur atoms with one sulfur covalently bonded while the other sulfur atoms act as two electrons-three centres within the metal cluster. Each Ag(I) ion is linked to three Ag(I) ions through Ag–Ag metallic bond distance of 2.9115(3) Å and 3.0376(4) Å. The complex was thermolyzed at 120, 180 and 220 °C as single source precursor to prepare silver sulfide nanoparticles. Powder XRD patterns confirmed the as-prepared silver sulfide nanoparticles as acanthite Ag_1.93S irrespective of the thermolysis temperature. TEM images of the silver sulfide nanoparticles showed particle of 2.99 nm for AgS1 nanoparticles obtained at 120 °C, 6.71 nm for AgS2 obtained at 180 °C and HRTEM image of AgS3 obtained at 220 °C showed average particle size of 32.90 nm. The results showed that the particle sizes of the as-prepared silver sulfide nanoparticles increases with thermolysis temperature. The as-prepared silver sulfide nanoparticles have spherical shapes irrespective of thermolysis temperature.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Ag(I) dithiocarbamate
• crystal structure
• silver sulfide
• nanoparticles
• structural studies

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of National Research foundation and Sasol, South Africa.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

CCDC 1841556 contain the supplementary crystallographic data for the structure and can be obtained free of charge at www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/conts/retrieving.html or from the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre, 12 Union Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EZ, UK; fax: [phone] or email: [email protected].

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Research Foundation and Sasol, South Africa.