Synthesis and characterization of micrometer-sized polycrystalline CdS nanosheets

A simple two-step method is reported to fabricate micrometer-sized polycrystalline CdS nanosheets on large-scale. Metal Cd nanosheets were first grown via a thermal decomposition of CdS powder and then polycrystalline CdS nanosheets were obtained by subsequent sulfuration. Investigation results demonstrate that the polycrystalline CdS nanosheets have dimensions of several tens of microns and an average thickness of about 80 nm with hexagonal phase structure. TEM image reveals that the nanosheet is composed of many randomly oriented polycrystalline grains. Temperature and gas flow are supposed as the determining factor for the formation of polycrystalline structure.