ABSTRACT
In this work, the synthesis and characterization of ZnS nanoparticles prepared via two approaches, involving the thermal decomposition of the precursor complex in a furnace (pyrolysis) and by solvothermal process in the presence of hexadecylamine (HDA-ZnS), are reported. The precursor complex, Zinc (II) bis (N,N-diallyl dithiocarbamate), was synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and single-crystal X-ray techniques. The spectroscopic analyses of the complex indicated a symmetrical bidentate coordination of the dithio ligand through the S-atoms. The single-crystal X-ray structure revealed a distorted square pyramidal coordinate geometry with S atoms around the Zn ion. The optical properties and the morphology of the as-prepared nanoparticles were studied by UV-Vis and photoluminescense spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. HDA-ZnS are spherical and monodispersed with an average size of 4.5 nm, as estimated from the optical absorption spectrum and the TEM image. The ZnS nanoparticles obtained via pyrolysis in a furnace yielded the hexagonal wurtzite phase, whereas the HDA-ZnS nanoparticles showed a mixture of wurtzite and cubic phase with the cubic phase being dominant.
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
![](/cms/asset/2aef6cf2-6e19-4b77-9c0f-0b399df6ea92/gsrp_a_1080707_uf0001_c.jpg)
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the financial support of North-West University, South Africa.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Supplementary material
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at doi:10.1080/17415993.2015.1080707.