In the present work,a solution-based co-precipitation method has been adopted to synthesize pure and cobalt-doped ZnS quantum dots and characterized by XRD,SEM,TEM with EDX,FTIR and gas sensing properties.XRD analysis has shown a single phase of ZnS quantum dots having a zinc blend structure.TEM and XRD line broadening indicated that the aver-age crystallite size in the sample is in the range of 2 to 5 nm.SEM micrographs show spherical-shaped quantum dots.FTIR stud-ies show that cobalt has been successfully doped into the ZnS cubic lattice.EDX spectra have analyzed the elemental pres-ence in the samples and it is evident that the spectra confirmed the presence of cobalt (Co),zinc (Zn),oxygen (O),and sulphur(S) elements only and no other impurities are observed.The ZnS-based quantum dot sensors reveal high sensitivity towards 50 ppm of ammonia vapors at an operating temperature of 70 ℃.Hence,ZnS-based quantum dots can be a promising and quick traceable sensor towards ammonia sensing applications with good response and recovery time.