Abstract: In this paper, it is demonstrated that the utility of poly-(ethylene glycol)(PEG), methacrylic acid(MAA) and sodium dodecylsulfate(SDS) can exert an exceptional control on the crystallization of ZnS by the in-situ polymerization of MAA monomers through addition of a certain amount of initiator, hereby provide a facile synthesis route to hollow ZnS spheres. The products obtained were characterized by using X-ray diffraction(XRD), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), and UV-Vis optical absorption. TEM studies suggest that the hollow spheres with diameters ranging from 300 to 400 nm are obtained. The wall thickness was estimated to be about 50 nm. SEM images show that the wall is constituted of compact worm-like structures, which consist of well-aligned primary nanoparticles. It was also found that the variation of surfactant concentration drastically changed the morphology of the produced ZnS products due to the corresponding transformation of micelles' structure. At a relative higher SDS concentration, ZnS spherical assemblies of platelike crystallites were obtained. The formation of the hollow spherical structure was interpreted in terms of the core-shell mechanism.

Key words: ZnS, Hollow spheres, Biomimetic synthesis, Template, Micelles