Gram-scale preparation of hollow spheres of ZnS by scarifying ZnO crystallites within core–shell-structured ZnS/ZnO precursors

By scarifying ZnO crystallites within core–shell-structured ZnS/ZnO microspheres, hollow spheres of ZnS on a gram scale were prepared, which did not require spherical colloids, vesicles, or microemulsions as the templates. The synthesis was performed at a relatively low temperature (<85 °C) and the period including the preparation of core–shell-structured precursors and the dissolution of ZnO crystallites is shorter than 4 h. The structure, morphology, and optical properties of hollow spheres were characterized by techniques of transmission electron microscope (TEM), field emitting scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and UV–vis spectroscopy. The studies of the photodegradation of RB catalyzed by hollow spheres of ZnS demonstrated that the as-prepared hollow spheres had a high photocatalytic activity and can induce the decomposition of RB rapidly. Consequently, the as-prepared hollow spheres should have potential applications in photocatalysts for the elimination of organic pollutants.