Optical and structural characterization of CdS/ZnS and CdS:Cu(2+) /ZnS core-shell nanoparticles

Core-shell CdS/ZnS (Zn 0.025-0.125 M) and CdS:Cu(2+) (1%)/ZnS nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using a chemical method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR TEM), photoluminescence (PL) and UV/Visible (UV/Vis) techniques were used to characterize the novel CdS/ZnS and CdS:Cu(2+) /ZnS core-shell nanoparticles. All absorption peaks of the synthesized samples were highly blue-shifted from the bulk CdS and ZnS. Very narrow and symmetric PL emission was observed in the yellow region for core-shell CdS/ZnS. Furthermore, the PL emission of CdS/ZnS was tuned into orange region by incorporate the Cu ion into the core CdS lattice.