A three-dimensional semiconducting superlattice built up of neutral [Zn10(μ3-S)4(SPhMe-4)12(DMF)4] supertetrahedral clusters

Using Zn(SPhMe-4)2 as precursor, a new thermostable zinc sulfide superlattice [Zn10(μ3-S)4(SPhMe-4)12(DMF)4] (1), was synthesized through diffusion method at room temperature. Compound 1 is built upon a neutral T3 supertetrahedral [Zn10(μ3-S)4(SPhMe-4)12(DMF)4] cluster, which is assembled through weak interactions into a 3-dimensional body-centered cubic superlattice that is chemically stable and free of strong covalent coupling. The four DMF group were located at the tetrahedron corners of the T3 cluster in such a manner that both the local charge balance and global charge compensation could be satisfied. The UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectrum shows that 1 is a wide-gap semiconductor with the band gap of 2.99 eV.