Preparation and characterization of ZnS nanoparticles deposited on montmorillonite

► Preparation of ZnS nanoparticles in aqueous solutions it the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium. Deposition of ZnS on montmorillonite (MMT) creating the ZnS-MMT nanocomposite. ► Calculation of the band gap energy of ZnS nanoparticles using the Tauc plot constructed from the UV spectra of ZnS colloid solutions. Estimation of the nanoparticle size using the Brus equation. ► Characterization of ZnS nanoparticles by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. ► Examination of the photoluminescence properties of ZnS-MMT. ► Using ZnS-MMT for the photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide. ZnS-MMT was found to be more effective than the commercial TiO2 photocatalyst Degussa P25.