Phase Transition for Zinc Sulfide Nanosheets under High Pressure

Abstract

This study describes the pressure-induced behavior of ZnS nanosheets by synchrotron angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction (ADXD) measurement up to 32.7 GPa. ZnS nanosheets transform from zinc blende structure to rock salt phase at 13.1 GPa and subsequently to a <i>Cmcm</i> structure at 20.3 GPa. The transition to the <i>Cmcm</i> structure is irreversible for ZnS nanomaterials at a much lower critical pressure than required for ZnS bulk materials. The special morphology of ZnS nanosheets plays a crucial role in the transition to <i>Cmcm</i> structures at comparatively low pressure. Continuous changes in lattice volume in the absence of volume collapse are observed after the transition from rock salt to the <i>Cmcm</i> structure occurs