Tin phosphite nanosheets were synthesized by a facile exfoliation method. SnHPO3 nanosheets with a thickness of similar to 2.6 nm readily form a stable colloidal suspension in ethanol using ultrasonic method. Structures and optical properties of the obtained nanosheets were investigated. The prepared SnHPO3 nanosheets exhibit an obvious blue-shift in UV absorbance compared with bulk SnHPO3 crystal materials. Moreover, the piezoelectric coefficients of SnHPO3 monolayer were calculated based on density functional theory, which are larger than that of h-BN monolayer, indicating this material could be a good candidate for designing electro-optical nano-devices. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.