Flower-like structured tin disulfide: one-pot solvothermal synthesis, morphology, and its supercapacitive features

SnS₂ has attracted considerable attention in supercapacitor research because of its advantageous physiochemical features. In this study, we prepared flower-like structured SnS₂ nanostructures using a one-pot solvothermal procedure. Structural and morphological investigations using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that the as-synthesized sample exhibited a flower-like morphology with a hexagonal structure of SnS₂ nanoparticles with an average crystallite size of 24.6 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed the presence of Sn-S stretching vibrations at 672 cm⁻¹, confirming the formation of SnS₂. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to examine the internal microstructure. The optical bandgap of the SnS₂ nanoparticles was determined to be 2.36 eV using Tauc plot analysis. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis revealed the high specific surface area of the SnS₂ nanoparticles, which is beneficial for supercapacitor applications. Electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the SnS₂ electrode exhibited a high specific capacitance of 741.42 F/g at a current density of 3 A/g and excellent cyclic stability, with 97.4% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles. Furthermore, an asymmetric supercapacitor device fabricated using SnS₂ as the negative electrode and activated carbon as the positive electrode delivered an impressive energy density of 352 Wh/kg at a power density of 5.14 kW/kg. The improved electrochemical functionality of the as-prepared tin disulfide nanoparticles suggests that they are electroactive materials suitable for use as electrode materials in supercapacitors.