Synthesis and stabilization of ZnS nanoparticles embedded in silica nanospheres

The silica-coated ZnS nanocomposites have been synthesized by a seeded-growth procedure in iso-propanol. The results of XRD, HRTEM and UV absorption show that the ZnS nanoparticles can be incorporated in the silica nanospheres without changing the particle size, and the composites are of multi-core structure. UV absorption and emission spectra have been performed to check the character of the composites, which show that the silica shell not only increases the PL intensity, but also greatly improves the anti-oxidation ability and thermal stability. PACS 81.05.Dz; 81.16.Be; 81.65.Rv; 78.55.Et; 78.66.Hf