Preliminary results on the characterization of ZnS and ZnS:La nanophosphors synthetized by chemical route

ZnS, a semiconductor material with a bandgap in the range of 3.6–3.8 eV, can be employed as a scintillator. We herein report on the preliminary results obtained from the thermoluminescence (TL) emission of ZnS and ZnS:La nanophosphors synthesized by chemical route. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and TL. ZnS samples show a TL maximum centred at 87°C, while the ZnS:La sample shows two groups of components appearing between 70–160°C and 190–330°C. The dose–response displays a good linearity in the range of 10–17 Gy.