Studies regarding ZnS:Mn nanopowders prepared from single source molecular precursor using microwave-assisted decomposition

•ZnS:Mn is prepared by microwave—assisted solvothermal decomposition.•Solvothermal treatment leads to increase of SBET from 2.04 m2/g to 154.5 m2/g.•Nano-sized powders consist on hexagonal-cubic ZnS phase.•Real concentration of Mn2+ in ZnS lattice was determined by ICP-OES.•Morpho-structural and luminescent properties depend on Mn2+ amount.

Nanocrystalline undoped and manganese doped zinc sulphide (ZnS) powders were prepared by microwave—assisted solvothermal decomposition of zinc-manganese diethyldithiocarbamate as single-source molecular precursor. The precursors are being obtained in aqueous solution, from sodium diethyldithiocarbamate and zinc-manganese acetate mixtures containing variable amounts of manganese. Complementary investigations such as: thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, SEM and BET were used to characterize both the precursors and phosphors. After the solvothermal treatment, the specific surface area of the powders increases from 2.04 m2/g to 154.5 m2/g. Phosphor samples consist of small particles (∼12 nm) which present a high tendency to form spherical agglomerations. Photoluminescence spectra show a dominant yellow emission peak at 568 nm accompanied by several weaker peaks. In this paper, we discuss about the manganese incorporation effect in ZnS lattice concerning the morpho-structural and luminescent characteristics of the samples.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide