Effect of Current Density on the Chemical Composition of ZnS Nanoparticles in the Absence and Presence of the ATLAS FLUKA Surfactant

In the present study, the role of electrolysis current density in the range of 0.1-0.5 A/cm2 on the formation of the phase composition, crystal lattice, particle thickness, and morphology of the powdery product obtained during the electrochemical dissolution of zinc using a carbon cathode was analyzed for the first time. The synthesis was carried out at a temperature of 90 °C and a process duration of 20 min in an inert electrolyte medium consisting of a 1 M sodium chloride solution with the addition of 0.2 M thioacetamide as a sulfur source, both in the absence and in the presence of the ATLAS surfactant. The results of X-ray phase analysis, X-ray structural analysis, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis showed that the synthesized precipitates consist predominantly of zinc sulfide in the sphalerite modification (α-ZnS), with a minor amount of elemental sulfur detected. It was established that the unit cell parameters change with current density in a nonlinear manner. At the same time, the adding of ATLAS surfactant into the electrolyte during the synthesis stage leads to a noticeable decrease in the crystal lattice parameters of the final product. The thickness of zinc sulfide particles, estimated using the Scherrer formula, exhibits a tendency to increase with increasing current density, ranging from approximately 4 to 5 nm. The addition of ATLAS surfactant to the electrolyte has little effect on the particle thickness. Analysis of SEM images of samples MP5 and MP10, synthesized at the same current density of 0.50 A/cm2 but without surfactant and with 0.5 g/L ATLAS in the electrolyte, respectively, revealed a significant difference in particle sizes. The particles in sample MP10 are several times smaller than those in sample MP5, indicating the effective role of ATLAS as a particle growth stabilizer and its ability to promote the formation of a more monodisperse powder.