Rapid synthesis of Bi and Sb sulfides using electric discharge assisted mechanical milling

Group V–VI binary sulfides are semiconductors, and find application in a number of commercial devices. Synthesis of these metal sulfides is problematic, and traditional synthesis techniques utilizing thermal and chemical means have disadvantages such as a long process time, contamination, and the use of toxic substances. In this work, the novel synthesis technique of electric discharge assisted mechanical milling (EDAMM) has been used to rapidly synthesize Bi₂S₃ and Sb₂S₃ powders from elemental S and Sb/Bi powders. This technique is shown to be both rapid and successful, and produces crystalline metal sulfide powders with a particle size of approximately 2 μm.