Effect of Thiourea Concentration on Chemical Composition, Morphology and Nanocomposite Particle Distribution ZnO/ZnS Obtained by Electrochemical Anodizing Method

The presented study systematically investigated the influence of different thiourea (TU) concentrations on the synthesis and properties of ZnO/ZnS nanocomposites using an electrochemical anodization method. TU acted as a source of sulfur, allowing ZnS to form within the ZnO matrix. Structural, morphological, and compositional analyses were carried out using modern techniques: XRD, a Tescan Vega3 LMU microscope, ImageJ software with ParticleSizer, MorphoLibJ plug-ins, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Chemical composition analysis confirmed that the increase in the concentration of TU leads to an increase in the content of ZnS. Elevating the concentration of TU in the electrolyte alters the makeup of the composite powders, shifting the balance from a predominance of lighter particles to a greater proportion of background particles within the mixture. This adjustment also leads to a significant reduction in the dimensions of the lighter particles, decreasing their length by half and their width by 1.5 times. Furthermore, this change in particle composition and size can have implications for the overall properties and performance of the composite materials. The parameters µ and σ decreases with the increase of the concentration of TU, and it testifies that particles are, on average, getting smaller and more uniform in size. The mode and median values follow this trend, decreasing consistently across the series, confirming the presence of finer and more monodisperse particles in samples 6–8. Understanding these relationships is crucial for optimizing material formulations to meet specific requirements in fields such as electronics, energy storage, and advanced manufacturing.