Preparation of porous flower-like ZnO nanostructures and their gas-sensing property

Porous flower-like ZnO nanostructures have been synthesized by a template-free, economical hydrothermal method combined with subsequent calcination. Calcination of the precursors produced flower-like ZnO nanostructures, composed of interconnected porous ZnO nanosheets with high porosity resulting from the thermal decomposition of the as-prepared precursors, i.e., flower-like basic zinc carbonate (BZC). Moreover, the nanostructures have been characterized through X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric-differential thermalgravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller N₂ adsorption-desorption analyses. Compared with ZnO nanorods, the as-prepared porous flower-like ZnO nanostructures exhibit a good response and reversibility to some organic gas, such as ethanol and acetone. The sensor responses to 100 ppm ethanol and acetone are 21.8 and 16.8, respectively, at a working temperature of 320 °C. In addition, the sensors also exhibited a good response to 2-propanol and methanol, which indicate that these porous flower-like ZnO nanostructures are highly promising for applications of gas sensors.     

Facile synthesis of ZnO nanobullets/nanoflakes and their applications to dye-sensitized solar cells

In this paper we reported a successful synthesis of ZnO nanobullets/nanoflakes by a simple hydro/solvothermal method employing a mixture of water/ethylene glycol as the solvent, and zinc acetate as the zinc source. The final products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Raman scattering and photofluorescence spectra of the products were also investigated. ZnO with both nanobullets and nanoflakes nanostructures had been comparably studied as active photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) system, and the overall light-to-energy conversion efficiency of 1.93% has been achieved for nanobullets based DSSC, while that for ZnO nanoflakes based DSSC has been raised up to 3.64%.     

Synthesis of ZnO by Chemical Bath Deposition in the Presence of Bacterial Cellulose

The control of the morphology of zinc oxide(ZnO) crystals is very important in science and industry.This article reports the influence of bacterial cellulose(BC) on the morphology of ZnO prepared by chemical bath deposition.ZnO nanostructures synthesized with and without adding BC to the aqueous solution of zinc acetate and ammonia were characterized by scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,and X-ray diffraction.The results reveal that the presence of BC in the aqueous solution changes the morphology from spindle to flower,which is ascribed to the interactions between –OH on BC nanofibers and Zn2?in the solution.In addition,optical property of the two ZnO nanostructures was compared.     

Nanosphericals and nanobundles of ZnO: Synthesis and characterization

ZnO nanosphericals and nanobundles well dispersion have been synthesized using [(N,N′-bis(salicylaldehydo)ethylenediamine)zinc(II)]; [Zn(salen)] as precursor via two methods. Nanosphericals of ZnO has been prepared via thermal decomposition of [Zn(salen)] in the presence of oleylamine at 290 °C for 90 min. Also nanobundle of ZnO has been synthesized via thermolysis of [Zn(salen)] in the air at 500 °C for 5 h. The as-synthesized products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra of both nanostructures are dominated by the green emission attributed to the oxygen vacancy (V_O) related donor-acceptor transition. Presence of several infrared (IR) inactive vibrational modes in the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) absorption spectra of the samples indicates a breakdown of translational symmetry in the nanostructures induced by native defects.     

Zn-catalytic growth and photoluminescence properties of branched MgO nanostructures

Mass production of uniform MgO nanostructures has been achieved by a thermal evaporation method. X-ray diffraction （XRD） analyses show the product is composed of pure single-crystalline MgO. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission elecwon microscopy （TEM） characterizations show that the MgO branched nanostructures consist of many sfim nanowires growing from the thick MgO rods. The as-synthesized nanowires have a length of several tens of microns and a diameter of several tens of nanometers. The preferred growth direction of the nanowires is [001]. Many nanowires are found to have a dendritic structure and temperature grade is thought to be the main cause of the growth of this structure. Zn nanoparticles scattered on the surface of the MgO rods are thought to be the catalyst of the VLS （vapor-liquid-solid） growth of the MgO nanowires. Room-temperature photoluminescence measurements show that the synthesized MgO nanostructures have a strong emission band at 401 nm and a weak emission band at 502 nm.     

Controlled synthesis and properties of ZnO nanostructures grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition: A review

The unique and fascinating properties of one-dimensional (1D) Zn) nanostructures have triggered tremendous interest in exploring their possibilities for future electronic and photonic device applications. This paper provides current information on the progress of ZnO nanostructure grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD); it covers issues ranging from controlled synthesis of various ZnO nanostructures to their properties and potential applications. The unique features of MOCVD have been exploited to grow high-quality 1D ZnO nanostructures with tunable sizes, enabling the study of excitonic dynamics in low-dimensional nanostructures and size-dependent quantum confinement. A better understanding of the growth behaviors of ZnO nanostructures—particularly the anisotropic surface energy and adsorbate-surface interaction with regard to the crystal planes—allows control over the positions, morphologies, and surface polarities of the ZnO nanostructures as appropriate for device integration.     

Growth of ZnO nanorod arrays on soft substrates by hydrothermal process

ZnO nanorod arrays with quite homogeneous size and shape were fabricated by introducing ZnO seed-layer as nucleation centers on the soft ITO substrates prior to the hydrothermal reaction. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence method. After the ZnO seed-layer is introduced, the resulting deposits on the substrates develop into nanorods, and the diameter decreases obviously to about 100 nm. Influences of the coated nanocrystal seed nuclei on the morphology of ZnO nanorod arrays were discussed. The results show that each nanorod is monocrystalline with wurtzite-type structure and oriented in c-axis direction. The increase of the intensity ratio of ultraviolet to visible emissions in room-temperature photoluminescence spectra and the decrease of the ultraviolet PL linewidths show the improvement of the quality of ZnO nanorods. A simple and effective method to synthesize ZnO nanorod arrays with fairly uniform size and shape on soft substrates is dip-coating ZnO nanocrystals prior to hydrothermal reaction, and it may be also feasible for the fabrication of other small-size metal oxide nanostructures on soft substrates.     

三维形貌ZnO一维纳米结构的微波水热合成、机理及性能研究

以Zn(NO3)2·6H2O和NaOH为原料,采用微波水热法成功合成了具有三维形貌的单晶ZnO一维纳米结构。采用XRD、SEM及紫外-可见光谱分析等手段对ZnO纳米结构及性能进行了表征;探讨了ZnO复杂纳米结构的形成机理。结果表明:在不同工艺条件下可分别合成ZnO纳米棒、纳米线、纳米推进器、纳米蒲公英及纳米纺锤等结构;微波在合成复杂ZnO纳米结构中起非常重要的作用;纳米ZnO紫外-可见光谱吸收带边出现红移现象。该法没有引入任何金属催化剂、模板或者表面活性剂,从而避免了去除残余添加剂的后续复杂工序。另外,与传统水热法相比,该法可以显著减少反应时间和降低反应温度。     

A new class of approach for hybrid inorganic/organic materials containing semiconductor ZnO

A new route has been developed to prepare ZnO of various shapes using different thiophene acids and ZnO at suitable reaction. Nanosized hybrid materials have a diversity of well-defined morphologies, such as rod-like, star-like sample and particle. The structure and morphology changes of the as-prepared product were investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD), infrared spectrum (IR). The required thiophene acids have been prepared by using organometallic synthetic route and characterized by EI, ¹H NMR and photoluminescence (PL). The ZnO nanomaterials are expected to present special optical and electrical properties, and facilitate future nanoscale device application.     

Formation of ZnO Nanotubes from Zn/ZnO cables by thermal evaporation

Various types of nanostructures were synthesized by the simple thermal evaporation of ZnO powders at 1300 °C. Three types of nanostructure were formed as the substrate temperature increased from 100 °C to 300 °C: Zn-core/ZnO-shell nanocables (120 °C to 150 °C), Zn-ZnO core-shell nanocables connected to mesoporous ZnO (200 °C to 260 °C), and ZnO nanotubes (260 °C to 300 °C). The formation process of the ZnO nanotubes, which were formed at the highest temperature (260 °C to 300 °C), involved the solidification of liquid Zn droplets, surface oxidation, and the sublimation of the Zn. This result was demonstrated experimentally as well as via microstructural analysis using XRD, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS).     

ZnO nanocoral reef grown on porous silicon substrates without catalyst

Porous silicon (PS) technology is utilized to grow coral reef-like ZnO nanostructures on the surface of Si substrates with rough morphology. Flower-like aligned ZnO nanorods are also fabricated directly onto the silicon substrates through zinc powder evaporation using a simple thermal evaporation method without a catalyst for comparison. The characteristics of these nanostructures are investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, grazing-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), and photoluminescence (PL) measurements of structures grown on both Si and porous Si substrates. The texture coefficient obtained from the XRD spectra indicates that the coral reef-like nanostructures are highly oriented on the porous silicon substrate with decreasing nanorods length and diameter from 800-900 nm to 3.5-5.5 μm and from 217-229 nm to 0.6-0.7 μm, respectively. The PL spectra show that for ZnO nanocoral reefs the UV emission shifts slightly towards lower frequency and the intensity increase with the improvement of ZnO crystallization. This non-catalyst growth technique on the rough surface of substrates may have potential applications in the fabrication of nanoelectronic and nanooptical devices.     

Fabrication of Co-doped ZnO nanorods for spintronic devices

Herein, single-crystalline Zn_1?xCo_xO (0.0≤x≤0.10) nanorods were prepared using a facile microwave irradiation method. Structural analyses by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealed the incorporation of Co²⁺ in the lattice position of Zn²⁺ ions into the ZnO matrix. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and TEM micrographs revealed that the length and diameter of the undoped ZnO nanorods were about ～2 μm and ～200 nm, respectively. For Co-doped ZnO, the length and diameter were found to increase with an increase of Co doping. The selected area electron diffraction pattern indicated that the Zn_1?xCo_xO (0.0≤x≤0.10) nanorods had a single phase nature with the preferential growth direction along the [0 0 1] plane. Raman scattering spectra confirmed the shift of the E ₂ ^high mode toward a lower wave number, suggested successful doping of Co ions at Zn site into the ZnO. Magnetic studies showed that Co doped ZnO nanorods exhibited room temperature ferromagnetism and the magnetization value increased with an increase in Co doping. The synthesis method presented here is a simple approach to prepare ZnO based diluted magnetic semiconductors nanostructures for practical application to spintronic devices.     

Synthesis and photoluminescence of wurtzite CdS and ZnS architectural structures via a facile solvothermal approach in mixed solvents

CdS and ZnS nanostructures with complex urchinlike morphology were synthesized by a facile solvothermal approach in a mixed solvent made of ethylenediamine, ethanolamine and distilled water. No extra capping agent was used in the process. The structure, morphologies and optical properties of these nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The as-synthesized urchinlike architectures were composed of nanorods with wurtzite structure. The preferred growth direction of nanorods was found to be the [0 0 1] direction. The PL spectrum of CdS nanostructures exhibited a highly intense red emission band centered at about 706 nm. On the basis of the experimental results, a possible growth process has been discussed for the formation of the CdS and ZnS urchinlike structures.     

Effects of supply time of Ar gas current on structural properties of Au-catalyzed ZnO nanowires on silicon (1 0 0) grown by vapor–liquid–solid process

ZnO nanowires were grown on Au-coated Si (1 0 0) substrates by the method of vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) growth processing technique. The effects of supply time of Ar gas current on morphology and microstructure of Au-catalyzed ZnO nanowires were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that the morphologies of ZnO nanostructures strongly depended on the time of flowing Ar gas. When the time of flowing Ar gas was 90 s, ZnO showed nanowires with hexagonal structure. Their diameters and lengths were 160 nm and 20 μm, respectively, on average, and the Raman scattering peak located at 438 cm⁻¹ reached maximum intensity. The results also showed that the ZnO growth could be patterned by controlling the initial position of Au-coated area on the Si substrates.     

单晶ZnO六棱锥的PEG400辅助热分解合成及其光致发光性能(英文)

将由Zn(CH3COO)2·2H2O和Na2CO3通过室温研磨反应获得的前驱体在PEG400存在下于240°C热分解获得大量的ZnO六棱锥产物。用X射线衍射仪(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)表征产物的晶体结构和形貌。进一步的实验结果表明:PEG400在ZnO六棱锥形成过程中发挥着重要作用,单六棱锥和双六棱锥的结构差异来自于热分解反应。光致发光谱(PL)测试表明:ZnO六棱锥在386nm处展示强的近带隙发射,在550nm处展示较弱的绿光发射。435cm-1处的拉曼振动表明ZnO六棱锥具有良好的晶体质量。     

Structural,optical properties and optical modelling of hydrothermal chemical growth derived ZnO nanowires

ZnO nanowire films were produced at 90 °C using a hydrothermal chemical deposition method, and were characterised with scanning electron microscopy, optical transmission spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the optical band gap is 3.274–3.347 eV. Film porosity and microstructure can be controlled by adjusting the pH of the growth solution. ZnO nanowire films comprise a 2-layer structure as demonstrated by SEM analysis, showing different porosities for each layer. XRD analysis shows preferential growth in the (002) orientation. A comprehensive optical modelling method for nanostructured ZnO thin films was proposed, consisting of Bruggeman effective medium approximations, rough surface light scattering and O'Leary-Johnson-Lim models. Fitted optical transmission of nanostructured ZnO films agreed well with experimental data.     

Preparation of GaN Nanorods by Rare Earth Metal Tb Catalyst-Assisted Process

利用稀土金属Tb作为催化剂,通过氨化磁控溅射在Si(111)衬底上的Ga203/Tb薄膜制备出GaN纳米棒.X射线衍射和傅里叶红外吸收谱测试结果表明,制备的样品为六方结构的GaN.利用扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜和高分辨透射电子显微镜对样品进行测试,结果显示样品为单晶结构的纳米棒,直径为80～200 nm,长度达几十微米.最后简单地讨论了GaN纳米棒的生长机制.     

Morphological transition of vertically aligned one-dimensional zinc oxide

Vertically aligned 1D ZnO nanostructures have been synthesized on Si (100) substrates by thermal evaporation of zinc oxide powders without using a catalyst. The morphology and size of the as-grown ZnO nanorods gradually change as the distance between the substrate and the source increases. All of the nanorods are synthesized not on the Si substrate, but on the ZnO buffer layer, which forms on Si substrate during the growth process. The as-grown ZnO nanostructures show a morphological transition from nanorods with an abrupt tip to nanorods with a blunt tip, to nanonails with a cap, and finally to ZnO quantum dots as the temperature of the Si substrate decreases.     

Role of Substrate Roughness in ZnO Nanowire Arrays Growth by Hydrothermal Approach

The role of substrate roughness in ZnO nanowire(NW) arrays hydrothermal growth has been systematically studied.Six silicon substrates with different roughness by chemical etching have been selected to grow ZnO NW arrays hydrothermally after sputtering 5-nm-thick ZnO seed layer as catalyst.The as-grown samples reveal that average diameters and number densities of ZnO NW arrays are inversely proportional to the increasing substrate roughness observed by atomic-force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.Furthermore,the theoretically derived equations based on nucleation with the Gibbs free energy to describe relations of substrate roughness versus average NW diameter and NW number density match well with experimental results.Research results in this paper can be used to control the number density and the average diameter of ZnO NW arrays by alternating substrate roughness.     

Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Extracts of Allium sativum,Rosmarinus officinalis and Ocimum basilicum

ZnO nanoparticles(ZnO NPs) were synthesized by chemical method(coprecipitation) and biological method using aqueous extracts of garlic(Allium sativum),rosemary(Rosmarinus officinalis) and basil(Ocimum basilicum).The influence of plant extract on the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of green synthesized nanoparticles was investigated.The X-ray diffraction studies reveal that all ZnO samples have hexagonal wurtzite structure.The particle size of ZnO NPs estimated by transmission electron microscopy analysis(between 14 and 27 nm) varies depending on the synthesis method of nanoparticles and the type of extracts from the plants used.The functional groups involved in the biosynthetic procedure were evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.The presence of Mn~(2+)ions,Zn vacancy complexes and oxygen vacancies in ZnO samples was highlighted by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.The green synthesized ZnO NPs have shown a good bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus,Bacillus subtilis,Listeria monocytogenes,Escherichia coli,Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial strains.ZnO NPs synthesized using extracts of the selected plant species have been found to exhibit more enhanced antibacterial and antioxidant activities as compared to chemical ZnO NPs.