Formation of NiS and CoS semiconductor nanoparticles inside mordenite-type zeolite

The crystallization of semiconductor nanoparticles, NiS and CoS embedded in mordenite zeolite (NaMOR) was carried out by ion exchange method. Structural, morphological and compositional studies of the materials were realized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). The obtained XRD results showed the presence of the well-crystallized mordenite before and after manipulation. SEM showed that the NiS and CoS nanoparticles are inside the zeolite channels and EDS gave us the chemical composition of the host matrix as well as the relative weight percent of Ni, Co and S. Measurements of the absorption spectra by UV–Vis spectroscopy indicate that the optical band gap varies in the range 3.53–3.90 eV. BET results reveal that the NiS and CoS nanoparticles are encapsulated in the channels and cavity of mordenite.