Mixed-solvothermal synthesis of CdS micro/nanostructures with optical and ferromagnetic properties

Several special CdS micro/nanostructures, including microspheres, microrods, nanorods, nanosheets and nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by a simple solvothermal method using ethylenediamine (EN), ethanolamine (EA) and ethylene glycol (EG) as pure and mixed solvents with different S and Cd sources. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements showed that micro/nanostructures CdS had a hexagonal wurtzite structure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the morphologies of CdS consisted of microrods, microsphere and nanosheets at different preparation conditions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed the CdS consisted of nanoparticles and nanorods at different preparation conditions. The optical properties of the CdS were measured by optical absorption spectroscopy. A vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measured that the CdS nanoparticles exhibited room temperature ferromagnetism. The saturation magnetization of the CdS nanoparticles was 9.109 (10−3 emu/g). The origin of the CdS nanoparticles with ferromagnetic properties is attributed to structural defects.