What is Zinc sulfide used for?

Zinc sulfide is an inorganic compound, the chemical formula is ZnS, the appearance is white or slightly yellow powder, and the color will become darker when exposed to light. It is stable in dry air, and it will gradually oxidize to zinc sulfate after being placed in humid air or humid place for a long time.

The use of Zinc sulfide

Zinc sulfide (ZnS) is used as a pigment and to make white glass, rubber, and plastics. It is an ingredient in pesticides, luminous paints, and X-ray and television screens.

Zinc Sulfide is used as a friction material to carry sulfur, which hardens rotor surfaces and thereby reduces wear. Also in printing inks, UV-hardened systems, powder coatings, adhesives, insulating & sealing compounds, thermoplastic pigmentation, thermosets, flame resistant plastics, glass-fiber reinforced plastics, pigment concentrates, elastomers,. textile fibers, paper, mastics, lubricants, electroluminescent lamps, infrared windows, domes and optical elements.

Zinc sulfide is well known as an optical coating material for its high refractive index (~2.35 at 500 nm) and very broad transmittance range from 400 nm up to 14 µm. It allows for coatings in the IR and VIS range with good environmental durability, and can be evaporated rapidly from e-beam and resistance heated sources. It is used as a semiconductor and in photo optic applications.

Copperactivated zinc sulfides are the most widely used phosphors for safety purposes.

Zinc sulfide and white lead are sometimes used in coating materials because of their fungicidal properties and to neutralize acid to protect against corrosion.

The preparation method of Zinc sulfide

It is easily produced by igniting a mixture of zinc and sulfur. Since zinc sulfide is insoluble in water, it can also be produced in a precipitation reaction. Solutions containing Zn2+ salts readily form a precipitate ZnS in the presence of sulfide ions (e.g., from H2S).