Synthesis and Characterization of ZnS, Zn0.96Eu0.04S, and Zn0.95Eu0.04Tb0.01S Nanoparticles

The present study describes the elemental and structural as well as the room temperature magnetic properties of pure ZnS, Zn0.96Eu0.04S, and Zn0.95Eu0.04Tb0.01S NPs. The energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) perceived the existence of zinc, terbium, europium, and sulfur in the prepared samples in expected stoichiometry ratio. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies revealed that all the prepared NPs had a cubic structure. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies showed the creation of wispy particles with an average size in the range of 5–8 nm. Magnetization (M) versus applied magnetic field (H) studies indicated that the pure ZnS NPs exhibited diamagnetic behavior, whereas both Zn0.96Eu0.04S and Zn0.95Eu0.04Tb0.01S NPs evinced the ferromagnetic nature at room temperature. However, suppression in ferromagnetism was observed in Zn0.95Eu0.04Tb0.01S compared to Zn0.96Eu0.04S nanoparticles due to the interactions between the Eu–Eu ions, Tb–Tb ions, and Eu–Tb ions. The above experimental results suggesting that both doped and co-doped ZnS nanoparticles are useful for spintronic device applications.