Luminescence and Structural Properties of ZnS:Cu Nanocrystals Prepared Using a Wet Chemical Technique

Cu doped Zinc sulfide (ZnS:Cu) nanoparticles were prepared with a wet chemical synthesis by mixing the reactants in a double distilled water solvent. Mercaptopropionic acid was used as a capping agent. Properties of the particles were investigated using UV absorption, photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The ave rage particle size of the sample's nanoparticles from the TEM image is 15.5 nm. The XRD pattern of the ZnS:Cu nanoparticles reveals a zinc-blende crystal structure at room temperature. The PL spectra includes four bands, due to the emission of traps and the surface state.