Self-assembled porous ZnS nanospheres with high photocatalytic performance

Large-scale porous ZnS nanospheres are achieved via a facile one-pot hydrothermal route with the assistance of surfactant. The as-obtained porous nanospheres have a uniform diameter of about 300 nm and are composed of small nanocrystals with a specific surface area of 47.43 m²/g. Through an inspection of the morphologies under various growth conditions, a possible growth mechanism for the porous ZnS nanospheres is proposed, which involves nuclei aggregation and Ostwald ripening. The main purpose of this article is to characterize the photocatalytic property of such porous nanospheres. The high photocatalytic activities are tested by the photodegradation of Methylene Blue (MB), Methyl orange (MO) and eosin B under UV light irradiation, with a comparison with other ZnS nanostructures. Furthermore, a good recycle photocatalytic capability is also demonstrated by repeating the degradation experiment five times, indicating their potential applications in organic-polluted water treatment.