Controllable Synthesis of Well-Monodispersed ZnS Nanospheres Through a Simple Sol–Gel Method and a Rapid Co-Phase Precipitation Method

Abstract

In this study, the sol–gel method was used to prepare well-monodispersed ZnS nanopowders with a powder size of approximately 0.5 μm. The starting materials used were Zn(NO3)2 · 6H2O and C2H5NS. However, the agglomeration problem of the powders was addressed by adding an appropriate amount of (C6H9NO)n. The sol–gel method successfully produced submicron-sized ZnS powders. To further reduce the powder particle size, a rapid co-phase precipitation method was employed. This method involved using ZnCl2 and C2H5NS, which yielded ZnS nanopowders with a particle size of approximately 50 nm. The key focus of this method was on selecting the precipitating agent and emulsion to control the precipitation of ZnS nanoparticles. Both methods resulted in finer powder particle sizes and higher powder purity compared to commercial ZnS powders. These improvements in the optical and mechanical properties of ZnS IR-transmitting ceramics are significant. Overall, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of using these methods for synthesizing high-quality ZnS nanopowders.