Comparison of the bulk and surface properties of InB$^\mathrm{V}$–ZnS semiconductor solid solutions

The bulk (crystal-chemical and structural) and surface (acid base) properties of InB$^\mathrm{V}$–ZnS semiconductor solid solutions with different A$^\mathrm{III}$B$^\mathrm{V}$ (InP and InAs) binary components are investigated under identical conditions. The regularities of the variation in the investigated properties with composition, which are generally statistical (smooth) for the InP–ZnS system and have extrema for the InAs–ZnS system, are established. The initial (air-exposed) surfaces of the solid solutions, as the surfaces of the binary components of the systems, are weakly acidic (pH$_{\operatorname{iso}}<$ 7), which allows us to state their high activity with respect to the main gases. Considerations concerning the nature of active (acid base) sites are presented and confirmed. The interrelation between the surface and bulk properties of the solid solutions is established, which offers opportunities for the prediction and inexpensive search for advanced high-efficiency materials for the semiconductor-gas analysis without time-consuming investigations of the surface properties.