Synthesis and characterization of hybrid ternary Cd_1−xFe_xS nanoparticles Available to Purchase

This study details the synthesis of high-quality Cd_1−xFe_xS nanoparticles using a simple cost-effective chemical technique in the air atmosphere. The structural analysis revealed the presence of a cubic cadmium sulfide (CdS) lattice with a hexagonal iron (II) sulfide (FeS) phase in Cd_1−xFe_xS nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction results showed that the iron (III) chloride (FeCl₃) dosage had a significant influence on the formation of ternary Cd_1−xFe_xS nanoparticles. The morphological analysis indicated that the Cd_1−xFe_xS nanoparticles had a spherical shape with a size of approximately 20 nm, while cadmium sulfide nanoparticles had a size of approximately 12 nm. The optical characterization revealed that the band gap of pristine cadmium sulfide and Cd_1−xFe_xS nanoparticles decreased with an increase in iron (Fe) content. The band gap of Cd_0.8Fe_0.2S was slightly higher than that of cadmium sulfide, while the band gaps of Cd_0.6Fe_0.4S and Cd_0.4Fe_0.6S nanoparticles were lower than that of cadmium sulfide. The energy band structures of pristine cadmium sulfide and Cd_1−xFe_xS nanoparticles were calculated using the density functional theory and were compared with experimental results. In summary, this work presents a detailed investigation of the structural and optical properties of Cd_1−xFe_xS nanoparticles synthesized using a cost-effective chemical technique. The results demonstrate the potential application of these nanoparticles in various fields such as optoelectronics, energy harvesting and catalysis.