Characterization of zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles Biosynthesized by Fusarium oxysporum

A variety of chemical and physical procedures could be used for the synthesis of metal sulfide nanoparticles. However, these methods suffer from some disadvantages including the use of toxic solvents, generation of hazardous by-products, and high energy consumption. In this work, zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles were synthesized through an environmentally and economically friendly method using the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. The ZnS nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fluorescence spectroscopy. The obtained results demonstrated the presence of ZnS nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), also determined their morphology as spherical, and their average size to be about 42 nm. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.