Synthesis and structural/morphological properties of nanostructured Zn and Sn sulfate

Full text: SnS and ZnS nanostructures have been synthetized by using a catalyst-free method with a pure micro wire metal and sulfur power as the starting materials. The synthesis has been done in a horizontal quartz tube furnace flushed first with Argon to eliminate air for 30 min. The furnace temperature was raised to values above of Sulfur, Tin and Zinc melting point (115 deg C, 232°C and 420°C, respectively) ranking from 450 deg C up to 600 deg C at different rates (5°C/min, 10°C/min, 20°C/min, 30°C/min) and exposing times (30 min, 60 min, 120 min). The formation of crystal phase was studied by X-ray diffraction after each synthesis process. For Zn-based compounds, cubic (ZnS) and hexagonal (ZnS) crystal structures were observed while for Sn orthorhombic structure (SnS) appears in addition to metallic phases. Scanning electron microscopy images reveal different nanostructured morphologies such as wires, ribbons and sheets growing on the surface of the metallic micro wire. The observed morphologies depend on both temperature and exposing time. The possibility of room temperature ferromagnetism and nanostructures growth mechanism will be discussed. Our results suggest the possibility of extending this approach to obtain nanostructured sulfate materials of other low-melting-point metals to broad the frontiers and applications in electronic, optical, magnetic storage, and energy conversion fields. (author)