Thin Film Structure of Tin(II) Iodide

Thin films of tin(II) iodide were prepared and characterized. The lattice structure of thin films determined by X-ray diffraction is different from that of bulk SnI2. This change of lattice is explained by a polymorphous transition of monoclinic α-SnI2 to hexagonal β-SnI2. The unit cell parameters of β-SnI2 are a = (4.506 ± 0.014) Å, c = (6.946 ± 0.011) Å. Thin films of β-SnI2 have predominant [001] orientation.