Effect of different precursors in the chemical synthesis of ZnO nanocrystals

Abstract

This work evaluates the effect of ZnCl2 and Zn(NO 3)2.6H2O as precursors in the synthesis of ZnO nanocrystals. The materials were obtained at 90 °C by a simple solochemical route. The resulting samples were characterized regarding phase composition, particle size and morphology, by means of XRD and TEM. The analysis have provided evidences that the material obtained applying Zn(NO3) 2.6H2O as precursor has hexagonal crystalline structure, typical of the ZnO, and dimensions in the nanoscale. However, applying ZnCl 2 as precursor results in a mixture of ZnO and Zn5(OH) 8Cl2.H2O phases. For both precursors, the predominant morphology of the obtained ZnO nanocrystals was the rod-like structure.