Abstract
Well-dispersed ZnS nanocrystals with tailored size in aqueous solutions were synthesized by
employing cysteine-sulfur (Cys-S) complexes with low molecular weight in a scalable anoxic vessel.
High yield production of water-dispersed ZnS nanocrystals on a 10-L scale was demonstrated in an
aqueous solution process. The average crystallite size of ZnS was controlled by changing the ratio
of the cysteine to sulfide in the applied Cys-S complexes. A decrease in the crystallite size of ZnS
likely resulted in both the blue shift of peak positions and the relative variation of peak intensities in
the photoluminescence properties. Additionally, the pH-dependent stability against aggregation of ZnS nanocrystals was investigated to reduce agglomeration.
