Incorporation of rare earth ions of samarium into CdS nanocrystals has been successfully prepared by a simple co-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of Sm3+:CdS nanocrystals exhibits the diffraction peaks corresponding to the cubic structure. A powder composition by energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDX) and by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the binding energy of Sm 3d(5/2) (108437 eV), reveals the presence of samarium into the CdS. Micro Raman spectroscopy showed peaks at 294 and 590 cm(-1) matches with the first and second order scatterings of the longitudinal optical phonon modes. The 1LO and 2LO mode, respectively from 299 cm(-1) and 599 cm(-1) shifted towards a lower frequency due to the optical phonon confinement and the structural disorder induced by the RE ions incorporation. A larger specific surface area of similar to 140 m(2) g(-1) was measured for Sm doped CdS nanocrystals using N-2 adsorption-desorption isotherm. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.