New layered tin(II) thiophosphates ASnPS4 (A = K, Rb, Cs): synthesis, structure, glass formation, and the modulated CsSnPS4.

The layered compounds KSnPS(4) (1), RbSnPS(4) (2), and CsSnPS(4) (3) were synthesized using the chalcophosphate flux technique at high temperature and are rare examples of divalent Sn(II) thiophosphates. Orange polyhedral crystals of compound 1 crystallize in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/c with a = 6.6673(13) Å, b = 11.9697(24) Å, c = 8.7604(18), and β=127.347(8)° in a 2-dimensional layered structure. Compound 2 is isostructural to 1. Yellow block shaped crystals of compound 3 crystallize in the monoclinic superspace group P2(1)(αβ0)0 with a commensurate q-vector at 1/4a* + 1/4c* with a = 18.0477(14) Å, b = 6.2021(5) Å, and c = 6.8415(5) Å. The structure of all three compounds contains SnS(3) pyramids, which is an extremely rare solid state chalcogenide coordination environment. All three compounds are semiconductors having well-defined band-gaps between 2.0 and 2.2 eV. The compounds are congruently melting and can be obtained as glasses by rapid quenching of the melt, which subsequently crystallize upon heating.