Structural and optical properties of the ZnS nanobelts grown on Zn foil via a simple method

Large scale ZnS nanobelts have been successfully synthesized on Zn foil with/without gold coating by a thermal treatments method under H2S/N2 mixed atmosphere for the first time. Morphological, crystallized and optical properties on the ZnS nanobelts are systematically investigated. The results indicate that the presence of Au film plays a key role in the formation of nanobelts. The nanobelts have width in the range of 400 nm-5 μm and length of nearly a few hundred micrometers, which are much larger than that of reported in the literature. Besides, all of the nanobelts are crystallized in a single crystal with a wurtzite structure and grow along the (100) direction. The growth mechanisms of ZnS nanobelts in width and length are explored based on our experiments.