Enhanced blue emission from ZnS–ZnO composites confined in SBA-15

A new optical material, the ZnO nanoparticles that are modified with ZnS and confined in SBA-15, has been prepared through the controllable sulfuration at relatively low temperature (40 °C) from the ZnO/SBA-15 composites. The precursor composites can be prepared through a novel path in which the zinc is well dispersed by directly grinding zinc nitrate into the as-synthesized SBA-15 occluded with template followed by calcination, and it is possible to control the conversion of ZnO to ZnS by adjusting the reaction time. The resulting samples are characterized by XRD, nitrogen adsorption–desorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. ZnO–ZnS composites, mainly confined in the mesopore of SBA-15, exhibit dramatically enhanced blue emission at the expense of the UV emission.