Solution-based synthesis and purification of zinc tin phosphide nanowires.

The solution-based synthesis of nanoscale earth-abundant semiconductors has the potential to unlock simple, scalable, and tunable material processes which currently constrain development of novel compounds for alternative energy devices. One such promising semiconductor is zinc tin phosphide (ZnSnP2). We report the synthesis of ZnSnP2 nanowires via a solution-liquid-solid mechanism utilizing metallic zinc and tin in decomposing trioctylphosphine (TOP).