Ethanol amine-assisted solvothermal growth of wurtzite-structured ZnS thin nanorods

One-step synthesis of wurtzite-structured ZnS thin nanorods with mean diameters of about 6 nm is achieved by a novel ethanol amine (EA)-assisted solvothermal approach adopting ZnO and Na2S2O3·5H2O as starting reagents. The as-prepared ZnS nanorods are well-crystallized single crystals with growth direction along [0 0 1]. The effects of solvents, sources of zinc and sulfur are investigated in details and it is found that EA solvent plays a key role to control both the phase and morphology of the ZnS nanorods. The possible growth mechanism involving EA-mediated nucleation and one-dimensional (1D) growth is discussed. The optical properties of the wurtzite ZnS thin nanorods are characterized by UV–Vis absorption and photoluminescence spectra.

► Ethanol amine (EA)-directed solvothermal approach to wurtzite ZnS nanorods.
► The ZnS nanorods are single crystals with diameters of about 6 nm.
► The morphology and phase of products can be controlled by EA.
► The growth mechanism involves EA-mediated nucleation and one-dimensional growth.