REFUXING SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ZnS NANOPARTICLES AND THEIR PHOTOCATALYTIC PROPERTIES

ZnS nanoparticles were synthesized by refluxing of Zn(NO3)(2)center dot 6H(2)O and CH3CSNH2 as zinc and sulfur sources in ethylene glycol at 60-100 degrees C for 2-6 h. Phase, atomic vibration and morphology of ZnS products were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that all the as-synthesized samples are cubic ZnS nanoparticles with different orientations. The particle size of ZnS nanoparticles is controlled by the reaction time and temperature. The photocatalytic degradation of as-synthesized ZnS nanoparticles was investigated through photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) under UV light irradiation. According to the photocatalytic results, ZnS nanoparticles synthesized by refluxing method at 100 degrees C for 6 h have the highest photocatalytic degradation of 96.73% for MB and 94.68% for MO under UV radiation within 120 min.