Structural and stability studies of CdS and SnS nanostructures synthesized by various routes

CdS nanorods and SnS nano-flakes have been synthesized by solvothermal process and CdS nanoparticles have been synthesized by aqueous media process. Structural properties of these nanocomposites are performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Chemical purity of these nanocomposites has been confirmed by energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX). Thermal stability of these nanocomposites is investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Different parameters such as activation energy (E) for the degradation, Arrhenius parameter (A) and the entropy change (AS) have been calculated by Coats-Redfern and Satava model. It is observed that the activation energy of the CdS nanorods is much higher compared to that of CdS nanoparticles and SnS nano-flakes. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.