Zinc sulphide (ZnS) nanoparticles have been synthesised by a green approach involving laser irradiation of an aqueous solution of zinc acetate (Znac(2)) and sodium sulphide (Na2S center dot 9H(2)O) or thioacetamide (TAA) in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The structural and morphological properties of the prepared samples were analysed using a transmission electron microscope, TEM, a high resolution transmission electron microscope, HRTEM, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. The thermal properties were studied using a simultaneous thermal analyser (SDTA). Better dispersed and larger particles were obtained by using sodium sulphide (Na2S) instead of TAA as the sulphur source. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses and Raman measurement show that the particles have a cubic structure, which is usually a low temperature phase of ZnS. There were phonon softening and line broadening of the peaks which are attributed to the phonon confinement effect. The average crystallite size of the ZnS nanoparticles estimated from the XRD showed a reduction in size from 13.62 to 10.42 nm for samples obtained from Na2S, and 9.13 to 8.16 nm for samples obtained from TAA, with an increase in the time of irradiation. The thermal stability of PVP was increased due to the incorporation of the ZnS nanoparticles in the matrices. The absorption spectra showed that the nanoparticles exhibit quantum confinement effects. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.