Deposition of CdS and ZnS thin films at the water/toluene interface

CdS and ZnS thin films composed of nanocrystalline granules have been obtained as deposits at the water/toluene interface in a beaker. Metal diethyldithiocarbamates dissolved in toluene provide metal ions while Na2S dissolved in water provides the sulfide ions for the formation of metal sulfides. The influences of deposition parameters such as deposition temperature, solution concentration, and reaction time have been studied. The obtained thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).