PbS nanostructures synthesized via surfactant assisted mechanochemical route

PbS nanocrystals using surfactant assisted mechanochemical route has been successfully prepared. The objective of this study was to investigate the synthesis and characterization of PbS nanostructures, employing methods such as XRD, SEM, surface area, and particle size measurements. The results revealed that the XRD patterns confirmed the presence of galena PbS, regardless of the treatment conditions. Remarkably, strong observable peaks indicated a highly crystalline nature of the PbS nanostructures, with preferential crystal growth observed in the (200) direction upon the addition of the chelating agent EDTANa2•2H2O. The mean volume weighted crystallite sizes calculated from the XRD data were found to be 4.9 nm and 35 nm for PbS synthesized without and/or with the chelating agent, respectively, while the surface weighted crystallite sizes were 2.9 and 18.8 nm. The findings highlighted that the sample prepared without surfactant yielded smaller crystallites and higher microstrain compared to the surfactant-assisted synthesis. Overall, the outcomes demonstrate the potential to manipulate crystal morphology through a combination of mechanical milling and surfactant application.