Facile synthesis of ZnS nanoparticles and their excellent photocatalytic performance

In this work, ZnS nanoparticles were successfully fabricated by a simple low-temperature solid-state method. The phase composition, morphology, pore structure and optical property of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen absorption–desorption specific surface area (BET) and UV–vis spectroscopy (UV). The photocatalytic activities of the as-synthesized samples were evaluated by the color removal of methyl orange (MO) under UV irradiation. The effects of surfactants and reactants on the microstructures and photocatalytic activity of the samples were investigated. The results revealed that the surfactant played an important role in the microstructures and photocatalytic activity. It was found that the as-synthesized ZnS sample assisted by sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity with nearly 95% of MO decomposed after irradiation for 60 min. The excellent photocatalytic activity of the sample can be ascribed to the large specific surface area and unique morphology.