Mesoporous ZnS hierarchical nanostructures: facile synthesis, growth mechanism and application in gas sensing

Mesoporous zinc sulfide hierarchical nanostructures were prepared in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone aqueous solution via a low-cost, hydrothermal route. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption analysis, and thermal gravimetric analysis were used to characterize the morphology, structure and composition of the products. Results show that the products exhibit a kind of hierarchical structure with mesoporous features which consist of smaller building blocks (ca. 30 nm) assembled together. The effects of a series of reaction parameters on the morphology of ZnS nanostructures have been studied systematically. A plausible mechanism based on coordination nucleation and subsequent Ostwald ripening is proposed. By virtue of the interesting porous structure, a chemical sensor was fabricated. The sensor exhibits attractive gasoline sensing behavior with excellent selectivity and fast response.