Synthesis of ZnS whiskers and their photoluminescence properties

ZnS whiskers were successfully synthesized by the chemical vapor deposition method with the assistance of CuS micro-spheres. The composition, morphology and structure of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and the temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectrum over a temperature range from 10 to 250 K was studied. The results show that the as-synthesized ZnS whiskers have an average length of 0.3 mm and diameter of 2.5 μm with a cubic zinc-blende structure. There exist three emission bands in the blue, green and yellow regions, and the emission mechanism is discussed. As the temperature increases, the temperature-dependent PL spectrum shows anomalous behavior, where distinct inverted V-shaped characters of blue and green emission integrated intensity and an inconspicuous S-shape of blue emission peak energy are observed. The transition mechanism is discussed.