Optical measurements of ZnS nanoparticles aqueous solution

We synthesized zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanopowders with size ranging from 2 to 100 nm by a simple, low-cost, and mass production chemical method. The nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. Our study concerns also the change in the refractive index of deionized water in presence of ZnS nanospheres. We present experimental results on effective index variation of water dispersed ZnS NPs at different wavelengths in visible spectrum.

Research Highlights► We synthesized ZnS nanopowders with size ranging from 2 to 100 nm by chemical method. ► Optical and structural properties of ZnS nanoparticles are investigated. ► Spectral dependence of water dispersed ZnS NPs index change is presented. ► We discuss an unexpected behavior of the refractive index observed in our experiment.