In air liquid–solid phase synthesis of metal sulfide nanoparticles from metal acetates and thiourea

Cubic phase ZnS nanoparticles of several nanometers were synthesized directly via the liquid–solid reaction between zinc acetate and thiourea in air at 190 °C for 3 h. The structure, composition and optical property of the resultant product were characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDX), Raman and UV–vis absorption spectra. The proposed method has also been successfully extended to synthesize MnS, CuS, CdS, PbS nanoparticles, etc., and may serve as a general kind of simple, mild and cheap way to synthesize semiconducting metal sulfide nanomaterials on a large scale.