Formation and Structure Characterization of Flower-like ZnS Microspheres

ZnS nanophases were synthesized through a low-temperature route using a mixed solvent, diethylenetriamine (DETA) and deionized water (DIW), as the reaction medium. The as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The experimental results indicate that ZnS nanophase is formed through a phase evolution of ZnS·(DETA)1/2 → ZnS·DETA → ZnS. The ZnS flower-like microspheres sized around 2μm consist of many nanobelts whose structure could be regarded as an alternative admixture of hexagonal wurtzite (WZ) and cubic zinc blende (ZB). The optical absorption measurements demonstrate that the spectral feature of the sample changes with the evolution of the phase structure.