Pressure-induced transition-temperature reduction in ZnS nanoparticles.

The study of the structural transition in nanoscale materials is of particular interest for their potential applications. In the present study, we have observed a lower temperature T = 250 °C for the phase transition from the sphalerite structure to the wurtzite structure in ZnS nanoparticles under a pressure of 1 GPa, as compared to those, T = 400 and 1020 °C, for ZnS nanoparticles and bulk ZnS under normal pressure, respectively. The reduced transition temperature is attributed to the applied pressure leading to tight particle-particle contacts, which change the surface (or interfacial) environment of the nanoparticles and thus their surface (or interfacial) energy.