Effective photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant by ZnS nanocrystals synthesized via thermal decomposition of single-source precursor

► Formation of ZnS NCs by thermal decomposition of a newly synthesized single-source precursor. ► Ethylenediamine and hexadecylamine have been used as structure directing solvents. ► Effective photocatalytic activity and stability towards the decomposition of RB dye. ► Trapping of hydroxyl radicals by the terephthalic acid photoluminescence probing technique.