Synthesis of mesoporous ZnS synergistically templated by butylamine and alkanols

Pore size and pore volume adjustable mesoporous ZnS was synthesized through a co-template method, which was achieved by the combined interaction between butylamine and some alkanols with proper lengths of the straight carbon chain. The pore size for mesoporous ZnS templated by butyl amine alone was 4.29 nm, and could be enlarged to 6.96 and 8.33 nm respectively through adding certain amounts of hexanol and octanol. Correspondingly, the pore volume also exhibited an augmentation with increasing carbon chain lengths of alkanols from C6 to C8. However, the pore size and pore volume dropped abruptly when decanol was added as the auxiliary agent. The formation of mesopores for ZnS prepared using butylamine molecules as the only templating agent is considered to be attributed to the coordination between N atoms in amines and Zn2+ ions at the surfaces of zinc suphide. The templating effect of butylamines might be improved by adding hexanols and octanols to form aggregates through solubilization to tailor the pore size and pore volume of ZnS effectively, while the function of decanols for changing the porous structure is restricted by its low solubility.

Graphical abstractThis article demonstrated that the pore diameter and pore volume of mesoporous ZnS can be adjusted by the combined effects of coordination and solubilization in the mixed templates of butyl amine and alkanols.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Synthesizing ZnS nanoparticles using zinc acetate and thioacetamide as precursors. ► Making mesoporous ZnS using short carbon chain butyl amine as the template. ► Tailoring pore size adjustable mesostructured ZnS by combined effects of butyl amine and alkanols with varying carbon chain length. ► Obtaining size adjustable mesoporous ZnS after removing template.