Flame Aerosol Synthesis of Metal Sulfides at High Temperature in Oxygen-Lean Atmosphere

The development of a novel reactive spray technology based on the well-known gas-phase metal oxide synthesis route provides innumerable opportunities for the production of non-oxide nanoparticles. Among these materials, metal sulfides are expected to have a high impact, especially in the development of electrochemical and photochemical high-surface-area materials. As a proof-of-principle, MnS, CoS, Cu₂ S, ZnS, Ag₂ S, In₂ S₃ , SnS, and Bi₂ S₃ are synthesized in an O₂ -lean and sulfur-rich environment. In addition, the formation of Cu₂ S in a single-droplet combustion experiment is reported. The multiscale approach combining flame sprays with single-droplet combustion is expected to pave the way toward a fundamental understanding of the gas-phase formation of metal sulfides in the future. The knowledge acquired can open the possibility for the development of a next-generation gas-phase technology facilitating the scalable synthesis of functional binary/ternary metal sulfides.