Zinc Sulfide (ZnS)

Abstract

In the context of natural zinc sulfide (ZnS), the natural crystal forms of ZnS include—zinc blende and wurtzite. Zinc blende is the prototype of the B-3 structure. Wurtzite is the prototype of the B-4 structure. Other crystal modifications of the natural zinc sulfide are also known. It is noted that substantial amounts of impurities are usually found in zinc sulfide minerals, primarily iron. Other common impurities include—Cu, Ag, Pb, K, Na, Ga, Hg, Cd, and rare earths. These impurities affect the body color of the minerals. The purest crystals are rarely colorless, usually having a light yellow body color. Natural ZnS crystals usually have hydrothermal or metamorphic origin. In the context of synthetic ZnS, a variety of techniques have been developed to obtain large, well-formed, high-purity crystals. These include different evaporation or sublimation techniques, the high-pressure growth from molten ZnS, hydrothermal techniques, and growth from solution. In addition, thin layer ZnS coatings on a variety of substrates and sintered hot-pressed polycrystalline ZnS windows are routinely produced for a variety of applications.