Preparation and Characterization of Porous and Composite Nanoparticulate Films of CdS at the Air/Water Interface

Abstract

CdS nano-particulate films were prepared at the air/water interface under Langmuir monolayers of arachidic acid (AA) via interfacial reaction between Cd 2+ ions in the subphase and H2S molecules in the gaseous phase. The films were made up of fine CdS nanoparticles with hexagonal Wurtzite crystal structure after reaction. It was revealed that the formation of CdS nano-particulate films depends largely on the experimental conditions. When the films were ripened at room temperature or an increased temperature (60 o C) for one day, numerous holes were appeared due to the dissolution of smaller nanoparticles and the growth of bigger nanoparticles with an improved crystallinity. When the films were ripened further, CdS rodlike nanoparticles with cubic zinc blende crystal structure appeared due to the re-nucleation and growth of CdS nanoparticles at the stacking faults and defect structures of the hexagonal CdS grains. These structures were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). These results declare that CdS semiconductor nanoparticles formed at the air/water interface change their morphologies and crystal structures during the ripening process due to dissolution and recrystallization of the particles.