Zinc sulfide has excellent fluorescence effect and electroluminescence function

Overview of Zinc Sulfide

Zinc sulfide is an inorganic compound with a chemical formula of ZnS. This is the main form of zinc in nature, and zinc mainly exists in the form of the mineral sphalerite. Although the mineral is usually black due to various impurities, the pure material is white, so it is widely used as a pigment.

Zinc sulfide appears as a yellowish-white powder in a liquid. Insoluble in water and denser than water. Primary hazard is to the environment. Immediate steps should be taken to limit spread to the environment. Easily penetrates the soil to contaminate groundwater and nearby waterways.

Zinc sulfide can be transparent in a dense synthetic form and is used as a window for visible optics and infrared optics. ZnS exists in two main crystal forms, and this duality is usually an important example of polymorphism. In each form, the coordination geometry at Zn and S is a tetrahedron. The more stable cubic form is also called zinc blend or sphalerite. The hexagon is also called the mineral wurtzite, although it can also be produced synthetically. The transition from sphalerite form to wurtzite form occurs at around 1020 °C. The tetragonal crystal form is also called a very rare mineral called polhemusite. The study of zinc sulfide fluorescent materials has a history of more than 130 years since it was discovered by French chemist Sidot in 1868. From the 1920s to the 1940s, the study of zinc sulfide materials has always attracted people's attention.

Zinc sulfide (ZnS), a naturally occurring salt, is the main source of zinc. It has two common crystalline forms (polymorphs): Sphalerite (“zinc blende”), with a cubic crystal structure, is the form that predominates in nature. Wurtzite, with hexagonal crystals, is scarcer, but it can be made by heating sphalerite to ≈1020 ºC.

In nature, both ZnS polymorphs usually contain significant amounts of iron that makes them appear black. The purified salts are white-to-pale yellow or gray. The most common use of ZnS is as a pigment for paints, plastics, and rubber. Lithopone, a mixture of ZnS and barium sulfate (BaSO4), is a widely used pigment for low-gloss paints.

ZnS is phosphorescent, which makes it useful for several electronic and decorative applications. Among its earlier uses were X-ray and television screens and clock and watch dials. In this age of nanotechnology, ZnS frequently forms the shells of semiconductor quantum dots, with cadmium selenide (CdSe) as the cores.

Phosphorescent, nontoxic ZnS makes it ideal for use in “glow-in-the-dark” cosmetics. The US Food and Drug Administration approved it for this use in 2000. According to FDA, “It’s the only luminescent color approved for cosmetic use, and it’s not for every day and not for near your eyes. You can recognize it by its whitish-yellowish-greenish glow.”

Applications of Zinc Sulfide

As an important two and six compound semiconductors, zinc sulfide nanomaterials have attracted great attention, not only because of their excellent physical properties, such as wide bandgap, high refractive index, and high light transmittance in the visible light range but also Its huge potential is applied to optics, electronics and optoelectronic devices. Zinc sulfide has an excellent fluorescence effect and electroluminescence function. Nano-zinc sulfide has a unique photoelectric effect. It has many excellent properties in the fields of electricity, magnetism, optics, mechanics and catalysis. Therefore, the research of nano-zinc sulfide has caused More people’s attention. It can be used to make white paint and glass, luminous powder, rubber, plastic, luminous paint, etc.

Luminescent material

Zinc sulfide, with a small amount of suitable activator, has strong phosphorescence. At present, it is widely used to emit light in dark products ranging from cathode ray tubes to X-ray phosphor screens. When silver is used as the activator, the resulting color is bright blue with a maximum of 450 nm. The use of manganese produces an orange-red color of about 590 nanometers. Copper can glow for a long time and has the familiar dark green glow effect. Copper-doped zinc sulfide is also used in electroluminescent panels. It also exhibits phosphorescence due to impurities under blue or ultraviolet light irradiation.

Optical material

Zinc sulfide is also used as an infrared optical material, transmitting from visible light wavelengths to just over 12 microns. It can be used as a flat surface as an optical window, or it can be shaped as a lens. It is made of microchips synthesized by hydrogen sulfide gas and zinc vapor and sold as FLIR grade, in which zinc sulfide is in creamy yellow, opaque form. During hot isostatic pressing, the material can be converted into a water-transparent form called Cleartran. Early commercial forms were sold as Iran-2, but this name is now obsolete.

Catalyst

Fine ZnS powder is an efficient photocatalyst, which produces hydrogen gas from water upon illumination. Sulfur vacancies can be introduced in ZnS during its synthesis; this gradually turns the white-yellowish ZnS into a brown powder and boosts the photocatalytic activity through enhanced light absorption.

Zinc Sulfide Price

Zinc sulfide will change according to changes in production costs, transportation costs, international situations, exchange rates, and market supply and demand of zinc sulfide. Tanki New Materials Co.,Ltd Aims to help All industries and Chemical Wholesalers to find high quality, cheap price Nano materials and chemicals by providing turn-key customize manufacturing services. If you are looking for zinc sulfide powder, please feel free to send an inquiry for the latest price of zinc sulfide.

 Zinc Sulfide Supplier

As a global zinc sulfide supplier, Tanki New Materials Co.,Ltd has rich experiences in the properties, applications, and cost-effective manufacturing of advanced and engineered materials. The company has successfully developed a series of powder materials (including oxides, carbides, nitrides, single metal, etc.), high-purity targets, functional ceramics, and structural devices, OEM service is available.

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