Optimized synthesis, structural and electrical enhancement of Zinc sulfide nanoparticles for electrochemical sensor applications

Abstract

A potentiostat with three electrode configurations was used to conduct electrochemical experiments on the successfully produced zinc sulfide nanoparticles. The results of the X-ray diffraction investigation showed that ZnS is polycrystalline and has a rhombohedral system. Using a well-known Williamson-Hall analysis, the average values of mean crystallite size and microstrain were found to be 1.56 nm and 3.7 × 10−2, respectively. The visible part of the photoluminescence spectrum of ZnS showed a noticeable emission peak at around 620 nm that was ascribed to the forbidden energy gap that gives rise to the electron-hole pair in ZnS. The FT-IR spectrum also revealed the structure of ZnS nanoparticles. A thermogravimetry graphic was used to prove ZnS's thermal stability. Energy dispersive spectroscopy coupled with transmission electron microscopy was used to verify the stoichiometry of ZnS, and the results show a roughly stoichiometric structure. With the aid of this electrode, ZnS@Ni, ethanol, and water could be found in both mediums. The electrochemical behavior of ZnS with varied concentrations of methanol on media was displayed by the Cyclic Voltammetry. Here, ZnS performs even with low methanol levels. As the methanol concentration was raised, the electrochemical peak raised. Additionally, ZnS's cyclic voltammetry demonstrated distinct feature peaks that might be used in fuel cell-type sensor applications. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to validate ZnS's capacity to make a wide variety of physical and electrochemical systems. Herein devised efficient ZnS -based electrochemical sensor for methanol detection is cost-efficient with the perspective of being scaled-up for point-of-care sensors required for monitoring methanol from environmental experiments.