Synthesis, growing processes and physical properties of CdS nanoclusters in Y-zeolite studied by positron annihilation

Direct synthesis of CdS nanoclusters within the pore structure of Y zeolite was made. The location of CdS nanoclusters inside Y zeolite hosts was confirmed by the blue-shifted reflection absorption spectra with respected to that of bulk CdS materials. In this paper, we conducted Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectrum (PALS) measurements on a series of CdS/Y zeolite samples and concluded that CdS clusters were not located in supercages but in smaller sodalite cages; as the CdS loading concentration increases to 5 wt%, the discrete CdS cubes begin to form bigger superclusters through interaction. The stability of CdS clusters inside the sodalite units is due to the coordination of Cd atoms with the framework oxygen atoms of the double six-ring windows. Moreover, PALS reveals some important information of surface states existing on the interfacial layers between CdS clusters and Y zeolite.