By using a facile and template-free polyol refluxing process, we reported the successful synthesis of porous SnS and SnS 2 architectures on a large scale. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by using XRD, SEM, TEM, UV-vis DRS, Raman and N 2 adsorption-desorption analyses. Studies revealed that the as-synthesized SnS and SnS 2 products mainly consist of porous flower-like microstructures with reasonable BET surface areas of 66 m 2 g À1 and 33 m 2 g À1 , respectively. Photocatalytic properties of trace amounts of samples were investigated by photodegradation of MB and RhB under visible light irradiation. The photoelectrochemical properties of both samples were also studied by configuring the samples as photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells, exhibiting excellent photosensitivity and response with greatly enhanced I on/off as high as 1.4 Â 10 3 , three orders of magnitude higher than previous work. The results indicate the potential applications of the SnS x nanostructures in visible-light-driven photocatalysts, high response photodetectors and other optoelectronic nanodevices.

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Tin sulfide (SnS) nanoribbons with the thickness of ca. 10-20 nm and length up to several microns were synthesized via a facile polyol refluxing process. The photoconductive properties of the SnS nanoribbons were tested by assembling the samples into photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells, exhibiting excellent photosensitivity with the features of rapid response and recover time, and stable on/off cycle performance to the stimulated sunlight. The photocurrent density can reach to around 87 mA cm 22 , which is the highest one among all reported SnS photoelectrodes. Flexible photodetectors were then fabricated on PET substrates, showing fast response to visible light with different intensities. Photocatalytic properties of the as-synthesized SnS nanoribbons were also studied by photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB). Almost all of MB was decomposed within 2 h, indicating the SnS nanoribbons are good candidates for high performance photocatalysts.