Luminescence properties of chlorine and oxygen co-doped ZnS nanoparticles synthesized by a solid-state reaction

Abstract

Cl− and O2− co-doped ZnS nanoparticles were synthesized using a low temperature solid-state reaction method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy were used to characterize their crystal structure, chemical state, diameter, surface states, and photoluminescence (PL) properties. The effects of Cl− and O2− doping concentration on the crystal structure, the crystallite size, and luminescence properties of ZnS nanoparticles were investigated. The results indicated that the ZnS:Cl, O nanoparticles had a cubic blende structure, and an average crystallite size of about 4.28–5.08nm. It was found that the PL intensity of the Cl− and O2− co-doped ZnS nanoparticles remarkably increased with the increase of Cl− and O2− doping concentration. The emission intensity of the 7mol% Cl− and 4mol% O2− co-doped ZnS nanoparticles was about 4 (10) times stronger than the ZnS doped with Cl− (O2−) nanoparticles. Mechanism for the enhanced luminescence of Cl− and O2− co-doped ZnS nanoparticles was discussed. This work suggests that the low temperature solid-state reaction method can be used to synthesize Cl− and O2− co-doped ZnS nanoparticles with strong PL properties.