The synthesis and study of nanostructured materials have become a major interdisciplinary area of research over the past 20 ye

Pure and doped ZnS nanocrystalline phosphors were prepared at room temperature using a chemical synthesis method. Transmission electron microscopy observation shows that the size of the ZnS crystals is in the 2-3 nm range and SAED pattern confirms the cubic and crystalline nature of the observed samples, which are in agreement with X-Ray analysis. Interesting luminescence characteristics such as strong and stable visible-light emissions were observed from the doped ZnS nanocrystals at room temperature whereas dominant UV emissions were observed for pure ZnS. These results strongly suggest that impurities, especially transition metals and rare-earth metals-activated ZnS nanocrystals are useful in the field of optoelectronics.