The Role of the Liquid-Liquid Interface in the Synthesis of Nonequilibrium Crystalline Wurtzite ZnS at Room Temperature

In this research, the role that the organic inorganic liquid interface plays in the synthesis of non-equilibrium crystalline materials is investigated. A hierarchical nanocrystalline film of wurtzite ZnS, the high-temperature stable phase, is successfully prepared at room temperature by an interfacial in situ fabrication process. The organic inorganic liquid interface constructed by n-hexane and water acts as the reaction zone for the synthesis of ZnS nanocrystalline film. A series of experimental results have proved that the liquid-liquid interface is the key factor for wurtzite ZnS formation at room temperature without any additive. The ZnS film consists of core-shell subunits characterized by ZnS nanoparticles around an organic core. Between the liquid-liquid interface, the core-shell subunits are coupled onto the surface of a SAM-modified substrate by terminal amino groups, so that the ZnS nanocrystalline film is formed by a layer-by-layer mode. This research brings forward a feasible route for synthesizing wurtzite ZnS in one-step process at room temperature and provides some beneficial information for studying the structural kinetics of nonequilibrium crystalline synthesis.