Porous silicon-zinc sulfide nanocomposite(PS-ZnS) was prepared by in situ synthesis of ZnS via a simple polyphase reaction on the base of nano-PS. The formation of the composite was confirmed by X-ray diffraction(XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS) and photoluminescence(PL) measurements. Based on the XRD data and the Debye-Scherrer equation, the size of the formed ZnS particles both on the surface and in the holes of the PS was calculated to be nano-scaled, ca. 5—7 nm. FE-SEM observation showed agglomeration for the ZnS particles with an average crystallite size of 30—40 nm, and the hole diameter of the PS was below 100 nm. PL measurements and CIE diagram analysis for the PS-ZnS composite samples indicated that the emitted light color from the composites could be modulated and controlled by changing the annealing conditions, from orange to violet-blue, and finally, white-light emitter of the composite was obtained.
