Radiative thermal conduction of molten tin sulfide estimated from its optical emission spectrum

•Radiative properties of molten SnS are investigated in a container-less set-up.•Results of emissivity measurement with a spectrometer in visible and near IR-range are reported.•Molten SnS is found to exhibit low radiative heat transfer properties in the region 900–1050 °C. Molten semi-conductors have potential utility in thermoelectrics or heat-management at high temperature (900 °C and above), though their development requires further analysis of their thermal conduction mechanisms, in particular radiative heat-transfer. Using a container-less method based on the floating zone furnace, the optical emission properties of a pendant droplet of molten tin sulfide (SnS) are investigated in the UV–visible (200–850 nm) and near IR (900–2050 nm) ranges. The emissivity results suggest a low emissivity for molten SnS at the peak of radiation for the temperature range of 890–950 °C. Corresponding estimates of radiative thermal conductivity suggest its minor contribution to the overall thermal conduction of molten SnS.