Zinc sulphide (ZnS) particles are efficient phosphors for application in flat-panel displays. Spherical ZnS particles were prepared by precipitation from a homogeneous solution. Nanoparticles of 20 to 40 nm having a very narrow size distribution could be synthesized by using complexing chelates usch as acetate and acetylacetonate. Complexing of the precipitating cation with the anions present in the system lead to a limited concentration of free cations in the solution. This strongly influences the kinetics of the primary particle agglomeration/growth, resulting in nanometer-sized ZnS particles. Nanostructured ZnS synthesized in this way are polycrystalline particles composed of crystallites of 5-10 nm. THe synthesis of very small, non-agglomerated, nanocrystalline particles in the 5-10 nm size range was also possible, making use of a strong complexing igand (thioglycerol) durign the synthesis. The synthesis of controlled monosized ZnS particles will be presented and discussed. The photoluminescence characteristics of ZnS amke this material a suitable candidate as phosphor for application in low voltage display technology. The effect of Mn~(2+) doping on the luminescence characteristics of ZnS will also be discussed.
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