Monodisperse crystalline semiconducting ZnS hollow microspheres by a new versatile core-shell strategy

Abstract

Monodisperse crystalline ZnS hollow microspheres have been synthesized by employing an ethylenediamino-functionalized ordered mesoporous material which acts as a synthesis-directing agent. This new strategy implies the use of surface-modified ordered mesoporous silica spheres that chelate zinc ions and precisely orientate the ZnS shell formation at the entry to the mesochannels of the silica spheres. The silica spherical cores can be removed by chemical etching, leading to the fabrication of homogeneous crystalline ZnS hollow microspheres of around 1–2 µm in diameter. This versatile method for the preparation of crystalline hollow microspheres can be applied to the fabrication of any shape and any chemical composition of hollow structures. These new advanced materials were characterized by (FE-)SEM, TEM, HRTEM and SAED.