Aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition of ZnS nanoleaves with optical sensitivity to gases

A novel route for synthesizing ZnS nanostructured films via Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (AACVD) is developed using the co-deposition of Et4P2S2 and ZnCl2 reactants. Analysis of the films confirms the formation of hexagonal ZnS nanoleaves with non-stoichiometric sulfide defects at the surface, ≈ 93% absorbance in the UV region, and ≈ 60% transmittance in the visible region. Gas sensing tests of the films at room temperature (26 ºC) under deuterium/halogen illumination, demonstrate optical sensitivity to gases, in particular toluene and nitrogen dioxide, in the UV range (λ = 360 nm). In humid environments (40% RH), the ZnS films exhibit reduced optical sensitivity to gases due to the formation of a ZnO overlayer on their surface. These results establish AACVD co-deposition as an effective method to process nanostructured ZnS films with tailored morphology and optical gas sensitivity, offering an alternative to conventional synthetic method and traditional resistance-based gas sensing.