Preparation and characterization of nanoscale semiconductor particles of ZnS, CdS, and PbCrO4 in polymer-surfactant gel matrix

The preparation of fairly monodisperse nanoparticles of zinc sulfide, cadmium sulfide, and lead chromate using a polymer-surfactant gel matrix as the template to resist particle clustering is been described. A hydrophobically modified polymer (chloride salt of N,N'-dimethyl-N-methyl derivative of hydroxymethyl cellulose, JR 400) and a surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) have been used to form the gel matrix. The nanodispersions formed in the gel at different precursor concentrations have been characterized by the TEM and SEM. Their UV-visible and fluorescence spectra have been measured and analyzed. The band gaps and other characteristic properties of the nanomaterials have been estimated from the spectral data. A procedure for isolation of the products from the gel is described.