ZnS nanostructures with different morphologies of submicrospheres,
nanosheets and nanorods were synthesized by solution precipitation of
thiourea with Zn(NO3)2 in the presence of block copolymer at low
temperature. The sizes and morphologies of ZnS can be controlled simply
by changing the processing parameters. The results show that the ZnS
submicrospheres are of 250–500 nm in diameter, nanosheets are
2.5 μm×5.5 μm with an estimated thickness of 20–30 nm, and nanorods are
2–5 nm in diameter and 10–30 nm in length. Keeping the precursor system in
an autoclave at 105 ◦C results in the formation of ZnS submicrospheres;
ultrasonication and keeping the system at room temperature leads to the
formation of ZnS nanosheets; and long-time continuous ultrasonication and
keeping the system in an autoclave at 105 ◦C induces the formation of
uniform ZnS nanorods. We argue that the reaction temperature and P123 may
play crucial roles in the formation of three ZnS structures in this work. The
morphologically controllable synthesis strategies may be extended to the
shape-controlled production of nanostructures of other inorganic materials.