Size-selective synthesis of zinc sulfide hierarchical structures and their photocatalytic activity

Hierarchical ZnS structures with different sizes have been successfully prepared by a facile one-step method. By modulating the experimental parameters, we were able to fabricate hierarchical zinc sulfide (wurtzite) assembled structures with average sizes of 30, 200, and 400 nm on a large scale. Systematic experiments were carried out to investigate the factors such as the amounts of the reagents (thiourea and sodium hydroxide), which have great influence on the morphologies and sizes of the products. In addition, studies of the photocatalytic properties by exposure to UV light irradiation demonstrated that the as-obtained ZnS structures show potential photocatalytic activity. Therefore, the preparation and properties studies of different ZnS structures will offer great opportunities to explore the dependence of a material's properties on the morphology and size and find many interesting applications in the optoelectronic devices.