Synthesis and characterization of Ce3+-doped flowerlike ZnS nanorods

Cerium-doped zinc sulfide nanorods with flower-shaped morphology have been successfully synthesized in air atmosphere through simple chemical precipitation method. The incorporation of Ce3+ was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive spectrum. The doping of Ce3+ ions has significant influence on the optical properties of the synthesized rods. UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy measurements have shown that the absorption peak of doped ZnS was red shifted compared to undoped ZnS. Photoluminescence measurements reveal that luminescence intensity of Ce3+ was enhanced considerably by the energy transfer from ZnS. The existence of functional groups was identified using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Field emission scanning electron microscope results show a uniform growth pattern of the nanorods with flowerlike structure. High resolution transmission electron microscopy results showed that the doped ZnS nanocrystals are composed of uniform nanorods with average diameter of 22 nm and length of 140 nm. The thermal stability of the nanorods was confirmed using thermo gravimetric and differential thermal analysis.