Raman spectroscopy of ZnS nanostructures

We report Raman scattering results of wurtzite ZnS nanowires, nanocombs, and nanobelts. The Raman spectrum obtained from ZnS nanowires exhibits first-order phonon modes at 272, 284, and 350?cm-1, corresponding to A1/E1 transverse optical, E2 transverse optical, and A1/E1 longitudinal optical phonons, respectively. Several multiphonon modes are also observed. The longitudinal optical phonon mode varies in wavenumber for nanocombs and nanobelts, indicating that the residual strain varies during the morphological change from ZnS nanowires to nanocombs and ultimately to nanobelts. Interestingly, a surface optical (SO) phonon mode varies in wavenumber depending on the shape and surface roughness of the ZnS nanostructures. The surface modulation wavelengths of the ZnS nanowires, nanocombs, and nanobelts are estimated using the SO phonon dispersion relations and the observed SO phonon wavenumbers. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.