The synthesis of novel ZnO microcrystals through a simple solvothermal method and their optical properties

Zai Xing Yang, Xin Du, Wei Zhong*, Yan Xue Yin, Mei Hua Xu, Chaktong Au, You Wei Du

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

ZnO microcrystals with novel structures have been synthesized by a solvothermal method that is facile, low-cost and environment-friendly. Zn(NO3)2·6H2O is the only precursor and absolute ethanol is the solvent. By controlling the reaction time, temperature and molarity of zinc nitrate, ZnO entities with the shape of flower, nut, hexagon-pillar, popcorn, brush and sphere can be synthesized in high selectivity. The ZnO micronuts (length ∼8 μm and width ∼5 μm) are uniform in morphology, displaying an open gap on the surface that divides the body into two. The investigation on the optical properties of the ZnO microcrystals reveals that all the ZnO samples exhibit an excitonic absorption edge around 376 nm, and compared to bulk ZnO, there is a modest red shift of ∼6 nm that can be ascribed to size effect as well as the unique morphologies of the ZnO microcrystals.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3403-3408
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Alloys and Compounds
Volume509
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Feb 2011

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Metals and Alloys
  • Materials Chemistry

User-Defined Keywords

  • Chemical synthesis
  • Crystal growth
  • Luminescence
  • Semiconductors

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