Controllable synthesize of ZnS/PbS nanostructure and their structural and morphological properties

ZnS is an appealing material with wide potential applications in optoelectronics, sensors, and photocatalysis due to its fascinating properties, low cost, and eco-friendly. In this paper, we report the synthesis of ZnS nanowires and nanorods via a simple thermal-evaporation method using different concentrations of PbS as a dopant. The prepared nanostrutures were investigated in detalis using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The results show that the fabricated ZnS nanowire/nanorod has a wurtzite (hcp) structure. In addition, based on the experimental results, the growth mechanism of the prepared nanostructures is reported. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) mapping analyses confirmed that the ZnS nanorods were stoichiometric without impurities or defects, whereas PbS quantum dots were formed inside the high-quality nanowires. The formation mechanism of ZnS nanowires is discussed based on the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth model. Results demonstrated that thermal evaporation is a simple and effective techniques for producing high-quality heterostructured ZnS nanowires with potential applications in different fields.