Enhanced Optical and Structural Properties of ZnS Nanoparticles via Co-Precipitation

Abstract

Pure Zinc Sulphide (ZnS) Nanoparticles were prepared using the co-precipitation method with sodium sulphide and zinc acetate dihydrate at a temperature of 100°C. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of the ZnS Nanoparticles were studied using various characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis. XRD revealed that the ZnS nanoparticles have a cubic crystal structure with particle sizes ranging from 2.84 nm to 6.41 nm. UV-Vis spectroscopy determined the optical band gap to be 4.5 eV, while the Tauc and Urbach energies were found to be 3.22 eV and 0.275 eV, respectively. The composition and quality of the ZnS nanoparticles were further confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

Nanoparticles are tiny materials having size range from 1 to 100 nm. They can be classified into different classes based on their properties shape or sizes. The nanoparticles show enhanced properties such as highly reactivity, strength, surface area, sensitivity, stability etc. because of their small size[1][6].Crystal structure of ZnS nanoparticles can vary depending on the size shape and synthesis method used. However, the most common crystal structure of ZnS nanoparticles is the zinc blende structure which is cubic crystal structures with zinc ions occupying half of the tetrahedral and sulfur ions occupying the other half. This structure is characterized by a closed - packed arrangement of atoms with a high degree of symmetry other possible crystal structure of ZnS nanoparticles include Wurtzite and rock salt structures, depending on the specific conditions of synthesis[6][8].

The co-precipitation method is common technique used to synthesis zinc sulphide (ZnS) nanoparticles. In this method, Zinc and Sulphur precursors are dissolved in a solvent typically water or an organic solvent and then mixture together under controlled conditions[4]. The addition of the precipitating agent, such as sodium sulphide leads to the formation of ZnS nanoparticles through a chemical reaction. During the co-precipitation process the zinc and Sulphur ions react to form ZnS nuclei, which then grow into nanoparticles. The size, shape and properties of the resulting nanoparticles can be controlled by adjusting parameters such as the precursor concentrations, reaction temperature, PH and reaction time[2][11][12]. After synthesis, the ZnS nanoparticles can be further processed or functionalized for specific applications by modifying their surface chemistry or incorporating additional component. The co-precipitation method is relatively sample, cost effective and scalable making it a popular choice for producing ZnS nanoparticles for various Industrial and Research purpose[3][5].

In this paper, we report the synthesis of ZnS nanoparticles by chemical precipitation method using Sodium sulfide (Na2S.x H2O) as a sulfur source. The obtained ZnS nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis absorption[9][10] and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR)[7].

II. SYNTHESIS METHOD

Various methods have been employed for synthesis of nanoparticles like sol gel method, hydrothermal method, chemical synthesis, co-precipitation and so on.

In this work ZnS Nanoparticles have been prepared using co-precipitation method.12.331 gm of sodium sulphide was added to beaker (1) containing 100ml of distilled water. In beaker (2) 17.56gm of zinc acetate dihydrate was added to 100ml of distilled water. Both the solutions were mixed well and stirred for 5 hours continuously. This continuous stirring resulted in formation of cloudy white solution which represented formation of ZnS nanoparticles in precipitate form. Thus, obtained precipitate were filtered using filter paper and were dried for 3 hours. This dried sample were later crushed very finely in mortal pestle resulting in ZnS nanoparticles.

Conclusion

ZnS Nanoparticles have been synthesis by using co-precipitation method and were characterised by XRD, UV and FTIR analysis . XRD confirmed the cubic crystal structure with particle size 2.90 nm and having maximum intensity peak for (111) plane located at 2? = 28.9. UV-Vis spectroscopy revealed that the band gap energy of the ZnS nanoparticles is 3.22 eV, and the Urbach energy is 0.275 eV also FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of ZnS at peak wavelength 3434.4 nm.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2024 Lukesh D Giradkar, Janhavi Dautpure, Arpit D Wagh. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.