ZSM-5 Zeolite As Host Material for Semiconductor Nanoparticles

This work describes the optical and structure properties of nickel sulfide and cobalt sulfide nanoparticles in ZSM-5 zeolite. The samples were obtained by sulfidation of the Ni2+ and Co2+ ion-exchange ZSM-5 zeolites in a Na2S solution at room temperature. The optical properties of the samples were studied by UV-visible spectroscopy. Their crystalline structure and morphology were studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Specific surface area and infrared spectroscopy results reveal that nanoparticles could grow on the surface area of ZSM-5 zeolites. Absorption peaks at higher energy than the fundamental adsorption edge of bulk nickle sulfide and cobalt sulfide indicate quantum confinement effect in nanoparticles as a consequence of their small size. The absorption spectra show that the optical band gap varies in the range of 3.91-4.72 eV.