Phase and morphology controlled synthesis of high-quality ZnS nanocrystals

Through a facile solvothermal method, the controlled preparation of ZnS nanocrystals with different phases and morphologies was achieved only by changing the organic additives. By adding the surfactant of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) into the reaction, the cubic heart-like ZnS nanoparticles with uniform size were obtained in a large scale. While, with the assistance of the biomolecule of alginic acid, the pure phase of hexagonal ZnS nanospheres assembled from small ZnS nanoparticles were synthesized. The optical properties of the obtained ZnS nanocrystals were investigated by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The quantum confinement effect could be observed clearly in ZnS nanoparticles.