ZnS semiconductor nanosheets doped with different amounts of chromium have been successfully produced via the solvothermal reaction of ZnO and S with CrCl3 center dot 6H(2)O in mixed solvents of ethylenediamine and ethanolamine at 180 degrees C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements demonstrated that the Cr-doped ZnS nanocrystals had a wurtzite structure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the morphologies of ZnS doped with high amounts of chromium consisted of regular nanosheets. Zn1-xCrxS (x=0.0934 or 0.1170) nanosheets produced a regular morphology with thicknesses of 50-100 nm, widths of 300 nm and lengths of 1 mu m. This product, composed of Cr, Zn, and S, was observed by an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). A vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) showed that the Cr-doped ZnS nanosheets exhibited ferromagnetism at room temperature, while the pure ZnS nanosheets exhibited diamagnetism. The saturation magnetization of the Cr-doped ZnS nanosheets increased with increasing Cr concentration over the range of x=0.0241-0.0934. The saturation magnetization of the Zn1-xCrxS (x=0.0934) nanosheets was 8.6492 (10(-3) emu/g). The experimental results confirmed that Cr-doped ZnS nanosheets exhibit ferromagnetism at room temperature, in good agreement with the ferromagnetic properties of Cr-doped ZnS that were predicted by first-principles computations. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.