Ni-doped ZnS Research Articles

Structural and Optical Properties of Nickel-Doped Zinc Sulfide.

In this study, undoped and Ni-doped ZnS nanoparticles were fabricated using a hydrothermal method to explore their structural, optical, and surface properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the cubic crystal structure of ZnS, with the successful incorporation of Ni ions at various doping levels (2%, 4%, 6%, and 8%) without disrupting the overall lattice configuration. The average particle size for undoped ZnS was found to be 5.27 nm, while the Ni-doped samples exhibited sizes ranging from 5.45 nm to 5.83 nm, with the largest size observed at 6% Ni doping before a reduction at higher concentrations. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy identified characteristic Zn-S vibrational bands, with shifts indicating successful Ni incorporation into the ZnS lattice. UV-visible spectroscopy revealed a decrease in the optical band gap from 3.72 eV for undoped ZnS to 3.54 eV for 6% Ni-doped ZnS, demonstrating tunable optical properties due to Ni doping, which could enhance photocatalytic performance under visible light. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses confirmed the uniform distribution of Ni within the ZnS matrix, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provided further confirmation of the chemical states of the elements. Ni doping of ZnS nanoparticles alters the surface area and pore structure, optimizing the material's textural properties for enhanced performance. These findings suggest that Ni-doped ZnS nanoparticles offer promising potential for applications in photocatalysis, optoelectronics, and other fields requiring specific band gap tuning and particle size control.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Transition Metal (Ni) Doped ZnS Nanoparticles Synthesized via Simple Solvothermal Route

Ni doped ZnS nanoparticles were obtained using the simple Solvothermal Microwave Irradiation (SMI) method in this research. This technique is cost-effective and results in a high level of uniformity in particle size. The sample's structural characteristics were examined utilizing XRD Technique, FESEM image, Elemental analysis of the as prepared sample obtained from EDX spectrum and their optical characteristics analysed by using UV-Visible absorption study. The XRD pattern of Ni doped ZnS nanoparticles were to obtain their crystallite size (D), lattice constant (a), and volume of the unit cell (V). As the concentration of Ni dopant increased (0, 2.5, 5.0) M %, the values of the lattice constant decreased, leading to an overall decrease in the volume of the unit cell. FESEM images reveals the sample have uniform surface morphology and EDX analysis give evidence for element Zn, Ni, S presents in the sample. Ni doped ZnS nanoparticle dimension strongly influences their optical characteristics. The optical bandgap, as obtained from UV-Vis measurements, ranges from 3.54 eV to 3.50 eV with doping concentrations varying from 0 M% to 5.0 M% .This adjustment in optical properties suggests that Ni-doped ZnS nanoparticles have diverse applications in optoelectronics, sensors, UV detectors, and as an efficient photocatalyst for degrading pollutants in water. The efficiency of the degradation of Methylene Blue dye by Ni doped ZnS nanoparticles was found to be 75.19%.

Computational screening of transition metal atom doped ZnS and ZnSe nanostructures as promising bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts.

The design of bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts showing high catalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is of great significance for developing new renewable energy storage and conversion technologies. Herein, based on the first principles calculations, we systematically explored the electrocatalytic activity of a series of transition metal atom (Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Pd and Pt)-doped ZnS and ZnSe nanostructures for OER and ORR. The calculated results revealed that Ni- and Pt-doped ZnS and ZnSe nanostructures exhibit promising electrocatalytic performance for both OER and ORR in comparison to the pristine ZnS and ZnSe nanostructures. Especially, the OER/ORR overpotentials of Ni-doped ZnS and ZnSe nanostructures are estimated to be 0.28/0.30 and 0.31/0.31 V, respectively, disclosing their great potential as bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts. Moreover, it is found that Ni-doped ZnS and ZnSe nanostructures for OER and ORR are on the top of the volcano plots, evincing promising catalytic performance. Our results provide theoretical insights into a feasible strategy to synthesize highly efficient ZnS- and ZnSe-based bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts in the future.

Preparation and Spectrochemical characterization of Ni-doped ZnS nanocomposite for effective removal of emerging contaminants and hydrogen Production: Reaction Kinetics, mechanistic insights

In this study, we report the successful synthesis of Ni-doped ZnS nanocomposite via a green route using ethanolic crude extract of Avena fatua. The as-synthesized nanocomposite was comprehensively characterized using Dynamic light scattering (DLS), Zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Atomic force microscopy (AFM). These analyses provided detailed insights into the size, morphology, composition, surface properties, and structural characteristics of the nanocomposite. Subsequently, the synthesized nanocomposite was evaluated for their photocatalytic performance against the organic dye Methyl orange. Remarkably, the nanocomposite exhibited rapid and efficient degradation of Methyl orange, achieving 90 % degradation within only 30 min of irradiation under UV light. Moreover, the photocatalyst demonstrated an exceptional hydrogen production rate, reaching 167.73 µmolg-1h−1, which is approximately 4.5 times higher than that of its pristine counterparts. These findings highlight the significant potential of Ni-doped ZnS nanocomposite as highly efficient photocatalysts for wastewater treatment and hydrogen production applications.

Facile synthesis of Ni-doped ZnS nanostructures and their photocatalytic activity to RhB

In this paper, pure ZnS and Ni-doped ZnS nanostructures (Ni–ZnS) were prepared by facile template-free hydrothermal method. The as-prepared Ni–ZnS was characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS, XPS, and UV–Vis DRS. The effects of different Ni doping amounts and hydrothermal reaction temperatures were investigated. The photocatalytic ability was evaluated for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. The results indicated that the doping of Ni effectively enhanced the photocatalytic activity of pure ZnS. Ni–ZnS exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic properties, the reaction rate constant (0.01154 min−1) is higher than that of pure ZnS (0.00218 min−1). Carrier separation efficiency and charge transport efficiency were investigated by transient photocurrent response (TPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Scavenger test was used to determine the role of active species, combining the analysis results of UV–Vis DRS, TPS, and EIS, accordingly the photocatalytic mechanism of Ni–ZnS was proposed.

Structural and Optomagnetic Properties of Ni-Doped ZnS Synthesized by Solvothermal Method

Structural and Optomagnetic Properties of Ni-Doped ZnS Synthesized by Solvothermal Method

Investigations on capping-induced changes in structural, optical, and thermal properties of Zn0.96Ni0.04S nanoparticles

We present the chemical precipitation technique for producing several quantities of sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) capped zinc sulphide nanoparticles doped with Ni2+ in an ambient environment. The average grain size of the nanoparticles generated was tuned by using SHMP concentration. SEM with EDAX, HRTEM, and SAED patterns was used to confirm the particle size, crystallinity, and composition. Compared to bulk ZnS, UV–Vis spectra of both capped and uncapped samples reveal a blue shift in the absorption edge. FTIR studies confirmed the capping of SHMP on the surface of Ni-doped ZnS. PL spectra of ZnS:Ni2+ nanoparticles exhibit intense and sustained visible-light emissions. The intensity of the blue emission centered at 468 nm increased with increasing SHMP concentration up to 0.75 wt percent but decreased with higher concentrations of SHMP. TG – DTA results show that SHMP – ZnS (Ni-doped) nanoparticles have excellent thermal stability due to improved shape and compactness.

Dynamic photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants employing co-doped ZnS nanoparticles synthesized via solid state reaction method

Because of their excellent optical and catalytic capabilities, ZnS with different co-doped proportions of metals has numerous applications. Their practical uses are limited due to their low photon efficiency and significant photo corrosion. Constructing heterojunctions and advanced structures with appropriate transition metal ions doping are active ways of improving semiconductor characteristics. The Pure and different dopant concentrations of Ni and Cd doped ZnS NPs were effectively synthesized via the solid-state reaction method. The influence of Ni and Cd doping concentration on the microstructure, morphology, and optical properties of pure and Ni-doped ZnS nanocrystals was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive Absorption Spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra, and the Photocatalytic studies. X-ray diffraction studies show that the average crystallite size increased to 3.30 nm from 2.64 nm upon integrating Ni ion, then decreased to 3.01 nm for Ni0.05Cd0.01 dopant level. SEM analysis reveals that a significant number of nanoparticles have a larger surface area and seem to be spherical. The active vibration frequencies of the Zn–S interaction were observed between 600cm–1 and 500cm–1 in the cubic structure of ZnS Metal oxide. The (ZnS1–0.05Ni0.05Cd0.01) sample shows Excellent photocatalytic degradation activity on the organic pollutants of the wastewater sample, about 96.67% for Methylene Blue. The reported findings demonstrate the dynamic degradation of organic dyes for minimal doping concentrations.

Room temperature luminescence and ferromagnetism from transition metal ions: Mn-, Co- and Ni-doped ZnS nanoparticles

ZnS nanoparticles (NPs) and transition metal ions (TMIs) doped ZnS NPs were synthesized by the chemical precipitation method facile via aqueous CTAB micelles. The structural properties, crystallography, morphology, composition analysis, photoluminescence (PL), and magnetic properties of samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, Fluorescence spectroscopy, and Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). All the synthesized NPs exhibited a cubic zinc-blende single-phase crystal structure with crystallite size in 2–8 nm range, which indicates the TMIs ions substituted the lattice site of Zn2+ ions, due to almost similar ionic radii of Zn2+ and TMIs (Mn2+, Co2+, and Ni2+), i.e., 0.074, 0.083, 0.069, and 0.065 nm, respectively. PL peak intensity enhanced with TMIs doping causes an excited state to the ZnS NPs, resulting in PL spectra turning into the visible region. ZnS NPs show mixed dominant diamagnetic and weak ferromagnetic behavior. TMIs ions doped ZnS NPs show the well-defined ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature (RT).

Highly improved nonlinear optical responses of reduced graphene oxide via the decoration of Ni doped ZnS nanoparticles

The application of graphene and graphene-like materials in photonics has attracted extensive attention in recent years. However, their nonlinear optical (NLO) properties need to be improved urgently. Herein, we demonstrate a method to improve the NLO properties of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) via the decoration of Ni transition element doped ZnS nanoparticles on RGO sheet. The samples of Ni doped ZnS decorated RGO (Ni-ZnS/RGO) composites with different Ni doping concentrations and ZnS particles sizes were synthesized via a facile solvothermal method. The NLO responses of Ni-ZnS/RGO composites were investigated via the Z-scan technique under a picosecond laser at 1064 nm. The results indicated that Ni-ZnS/RGO composites exhibited saturation absorption and positive nonlinear refraction properties, and they could be adjusted by controlling the doping concentration of Ni and the size of ZnS nanoparticles. The maximum saturation absorption coefficient, nonlinear susceptibility and nonlinear refractive index of Ni-ZnS/RGO among all the samples were obtained to be − 2.5 × 10−10 mW−1, 3.2 × 10−13cm2/W and 14.1 × 10−14cm2/W, which were 25, 18 and 23 times of those of RGO, and 3.6, 11.7 and 4.2 times of those of ZnS doped with 2.5%Ni, respectively. They were also much greater than those of the direct sum of the two independent units, RGO and Ni-doped ZnS. These highly improved NLO responses of Ni-ZnS/RGO composites were ascribed to the inhibition of the direct electron-hole recombination due to the introduction of Ni doped impurity energy levels within the band gap of ZnS, as well as the charge transfer and synergism between ZnS and RGO. The results of this investigation may promote the development and applications of Ni-ZnS/RGO materials in photonic devices.

Structural and Optical Studies of Synthesized Semiconductor NixZn1-xS Nanostructure Thin Films for Optoelectronic Device Applications

Transition metal ions like Nickel doped ZnS semiconductor materials have a wide range of optoelectronic device applications. However, the doping concentration effect on the properties of NixZn1-xS has not been reported. This study, therefore, investigated the effects of nickel (Ni) doping concentration on the structural and optical properties of synthesized NixZn1-xS nanostructured thin films prepared by low-cost Chemical Spray Pyrolysis (CSP) technique. NixZn1-xS nanostructured thin films with a thickness of 320nm and different mole ratios (𝑥 = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08,) were grown by the use of spray solution on hot glass substrates at a temperature of 300oC using CSP technique. The spray solutions contain nickel acetate, zinc acetate, and thiourea as precursors for Nickel, Zinc, and Sulphur, respectively. The influence of Ni doping concentration on the structural, optical, and morphological properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) respectively. The XRD analysis indicated that all the prepared films retained the ZnS cubic zinc blend structure. SEM results show that the films are composed of well crystalline grains with various shapes and densely bound to each other. The UV-vis spectroscopy shows that transmittance is moderately high and increased with increasing Ni content. The average transmittance of NixZn1-xS are 61.3%, 62.8%, 63.9%, 67.6 and 69.6% for x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08, respectively. The bandgap of Ni-doped ZnS samples is low compared to the undoped, and the value increases gradually with increasing Ni concentration. Based on the results obtained, with the enhanced structural and optical properties, NixZn1-xS films could be a useful material in the future of optoelectronic applications.

Preparation and Characterization of Nickel-Doped Zinc Sulphide Thin Films for Solar Cell Applications

This study presents the production of pure and different amounts of Ni-doped (4, 8, 12%) ZnS films on microscope glass substrate at 4005°C substrate temperature with Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis Technique and the effect of Ni doping on some physical properties of pure films. X-ray diffractometer (XRD), UV-Vis spectrophotometer, two-probe method and atomic force microscope (AFM) were used to analyze the structural, optical, electrical and surface properties of all films, respectively. XRD patterns contains broad peaks showing a low crystallinity level for the films. Ni doping caused ZnS films to have high absorbance values through the visible spectrum. Optical band gap energy values of ZnS:Ni thin films were determined to be between 3.71-3.96 eV. Two-probe measurements revealed that the electrical conductivity values of ZnS films increased significantly depending on the Ni doping. AFM results showed that the films have an almost homogeneous distribution with a rough surface. No significant change was observed for the surface properties of the films due to the Ni doping. As a result of all analyzes; it was seen that Ni doping has an important effect on the optical and electrical properties of ZnS films, without modifying the crystalline structure or surface texture. Keywords: Zinc sulphide films; Nickel doping; Ultrasonic spray pyrolysis; Optical and electrical properties; XRD; AFM. DOI: 10.7176/JSTR/7-04-03

Synthesis and properties of (Fe, Ni)-doped zinc sulfide nanopowders

Pure and (Fe, Ni)-doped ZnS nanopowders have been successfully synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method using Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP) as capping agent. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies reveal that the synthesized powders are in cubic blended structure. The average crystalline size of pure and doped ZnS nanopowder conform around 2–3 nm. In the investigations, Ni is kept constant at 3 mol% and Fe is increased from 1 to 5 mol%. Transition electron microscopy (TEM) is also used to investigate the average size of the nanopowders. TEM results are reasonably in good agreement. SEM micrographs of the (Fe, Ni)-doped nanopowders result in agglomeration with spherical in shape. The EDAX spectra show the chemical composition of dopants is uniform in ZnS. Optical absorption spectra show the absorption edge at 310 nm. Photoluminescence (PL) studies are conducted with excitation wavelength of 306 nm. Pure ZnS exhibits sharp emission peaks at 438 nm, 450 nm and 466 nm. (Fe, Ni)-doped ZnS samples also exhibit the sharp emission peaks at 450 nm and 467 nm with decreasing intensity. The magnetic measurements reveal that 5 mol% Fe- and 3 mol% Ni-doped ZnS nanopowders exhibit a weak ferromagnetic behavior.

Exploring the structural and charge storage properties of Ni–ZnS/ZnO composite synthesized by one-pot wet chemical route

Metal oxide-metal sulfide-based composites of desired properties are of great technological importance because of their applications ranging from photovoltaics to energy storage devices. Herein, we report on the structural and charge storage capabilities of nickel-doped zinc sulfide-decorated zinc oxide (Ni–ZnS/ZnO) composite prepared by wet chemical route. The synthesis of ZnO, Ni–ZnS, and Ni–ZnS/ZnO was performed at 80 °C in a single vessel which was followed by annealing at 300 °C for 1 h. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicated flower-like morphology of the ZnO decorated with Ni-doped ZnS (Ni–ZnS). The material exhibited characteristic X-ray diffraction (XRD) signals corresponding to ZnO and Ni–ZnS which confirmed the formation of a composite structure. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, UV–visible spectroscopy, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy measurements revealed the successful formation of Ni–ZnS/ZnO composites. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were carried out to examine the energy storage capabilities of the synthesized Ni–ZnS/ZnO composite. The composite electrode demonstrated a specific capacitance of 354 F g−1 in 1 M KOH electrolyte which was higher than that of the Ni–ZnS (154.7 F g−1) and ZnO (132 F g−1). The enhanced capacitive performance of the composite is attributed to the low charge transfer resistance and high electrochemically active specific surface area (27.54 m2 g−1), as revealed by EIS results.

Sonochemically synthesized Ni-doped ZnS nanoparticles: structural, optical, and photocatalytic properties

In the present work, we investigate the effect of Ni doping on the crystallite size (Dhkl), optical band gap ($$E_{\text{g}}^{\text{opt}}$$), Photoluminescence emission (PL) behavior, as well as the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) by ZnS nanoparticles (NPs) catalyst. Undoped and Ni-doped ZnS NPs at Ni concentrations of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10% are successfully synthesized with average Dhkl from 2.75 to 3.76 nm by the sonochemical technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) images of all samples exhibit pure zinc-blende type of ZnS cubic structure. The increase in Ni content up to 4% results in an increase in the Dhkl and unit cell volume (V) accompanied by a decrease in $$E_{\text{g}}^{\text{opt}}$$. Meanwhile, a further increase in Ni content above 4% leads to a decrease in Dhkl and V and an increase in $$E_{\text{g}}^{\text{opt}}$$. The deconvoluted PL emission spectrum of the undoped sample at the excitation wavelength (λex) of 325 nm reveals emission bands centered at 3.41, 3.16, 2.89, and 2.26 eV, which are red-shifted with increasing λex to 370 nm. It is observed that the PL emission intensity is quenched with increasing Ni content without any noticeable change in the PL peak position. Ni-doped ZnS catalyst with 2% Ni exhibits maximum photo-degradation efficiency of 52.23% with a rate constant of 0.00396 min−1. The obtained results demonstrate that Ni doping can tune the optical band gap and photocatalytic efficiency of ZnS NPs that make it applicable for many optoelectronic applications.

First principles calculations and experimental study of the optical properties of Ni-doped ZnS

Zinc sulphide doped with nickel (Ni:ZnS) has many applications in different fields like materials science, electronics, optics, and other industrial applications. Experimentally, a large variety of methods have been developed for Ni:ZnS synthesizing, where the chemical synthesis with capping agent is most successful, but has disadvantages like purity and the low performance. In addition, since there is not also much theoretical information about its features, the electronic and optical response of Ni:ZnS were studied, both experimentally by x-ray diffractometry (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and theoretically by means of the density functional theory (DFT) calculations, giving an unified understanding of the electrooptical performance of this compound. In the same way, the importance of the inclusion of Ni impurities in the structure was studied and analyzed by the inclusion of a Hubbard potential in the calculations. We found that the optimal U value for Ni atoms is 4 eV in agreement with experimental results obtained by XPS. The dielectric function (ε2) for pure and doped systems showed that the influence of the Ni atom is mainly given in the range of low energy regions (E < 6 eV), where the new peaks are associated to transitions that include the impurity band states.

Efficient UV photodetectors based on Ni-doped ZnS nanoparticles prepared by facial chemical reduction method

Ni-doped ZnS nanoparticles are synthesized by simple hydrothermal process for the utilization in UV photodetectors. Surface morphology of the prepared samples is investigated through high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), which reveals that the prepared nanoparticles are smaller than 20 nm. The well visualized selected area electron diffraction rings suggests the nanocrystalline nature of the prepared nanoparticles with (hkl) planes (111), (220) and (311). The structural analysis is done by x-ray diffraction (XRD) studies; which reveal the decrease in crystallite size with increase in Ni-doping concentration. The device performance of the photodetectors is tested under UV-A light (wavelength ≈365 nm) and found that the ability of the prepared devices increases with increase in Ni-doping concentration. This can be attributed to the enhanced surface to volume ratio and increase in charge carrier concentration. The adsorption-desorption of oxygen molecules on the nanoparticles' surface is considered to be the mechanism for UV photodetection.

Hydrothermal synthesis of Ni-doped ZnS solid solution photocatalysts for photocatalytic H2 production

When the Ni doping amount is 0.3, excessive Ni doping will result in NiS impurity levels (IL). NiS IL will increase the probability of recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, which has negative influence on the photocatalytic H2 production. Moreover, Zn0.98Ni0.02S photocatalyst prepared at 180 °C for 12 h exhibits the best photocatalytic activity for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (PHER) with an initial rate of 457.11 μmol h−1 g−1, which is about 5 times higher than that over pure ZnS.

Effect of Ni incorporation on structural, optical and magnetic properties of electron beam evaporated ZnS thin films

Nickel (Ni) incorporated zinc sulfide (Zn1−xNixS) thin films at different Ni concentrations (x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.05, 0.08 and 0.10) were prepared by EB technique. The effect of Ni concentration on structural, morphological, optical and magnetic properties were studied using different characterization methods including X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDX), UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and a vibrating sample magnetometer.The Ni-doped ZnS thin films exhibited cubic structure with preferred orientation along (1 1 1) orientation. The average crystallite size was about 20 nm. The AFM images indicated dense and homogeneous particles on the surface of the films with good and compact grain connectivity. The EDX spectra showed the presence of host and dopant elements in prepared thin films. The thin films showed high optical transmittance in the visible region and increased from 80 to 88% with increasing Ni concentration from x = 0.00 to x = 0.10. The optical band gap decreased from 3.46 to 3.25 eV with increasing Ni concentration. A broad emission peak at 463 nm was observed from the PL spectra. The undoped and Ni-doped ZnS thin films exhibited weak ferromagnetism at room temperature.

Microstructure and photocatalytic activity of Ni-doped ZnS nanorods prepared by hydrothermal method

Abstract Pure ZnS and Ni2+-doped ZnS nanorods (Zn1-xNixS, x=0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05 and 0.07, mole fraction, %) were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The effects of Ni2+ doping on the phase-structure, morphology, elemental composition and optical properties of the samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), respectively. The photocatalytic activity of Zn1-xNixS nanorods was evaluated by the photodegradation of organic dyes Rhodamine B (RhB) in aqueous solution under UV light irradiation. The results show that all samples exhibit wurtzite structure with good crystallization. The morphologies are one-dimensional nanorods with good dispersion, and the distortion of the lattice constant occurs. The band gap of Zn1-xNixS samples is smaller than that of pure ZnS, thus red shift occurs. Ni2+-doped ZnS nanocrystals can enhance photocatalytic activities for the photodegradation of RhB. Especially, Zn0.97Ni0.03S sample exhibits better photocatalytic performance and photocatalytic stability for the decomposition of RhB.