Synthesis and Characterization of ZnO Nanostructures Grown via a Novel Atmospheric Pressure Solution Evaporation Method

Hamdam Momen, Mehdi; Heydarzadeh Sohi, Mahmoud; Amadeh, Ahmadali

doi:10.7508/jufgnsm.2015.02.003

Synthesis and Characterization of ZnO Nanostructures Grown via a Novel Atmospheric Pressure Solution Evaporation Method

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mehdi Hamdam Momen

Mahmoud Heydarzadeh Sohi

Ahmadali Amadeh

School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 11155-4563, Tehran, Iran

10.7508/jufgnsm.2015.02.003

Abstract

In this study, a novel method called “atmospheric pressure solution evaporation (APSE)” was
developed for growing of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanostructures on Al2O3 surface. Zinc acetate dihydrate,
Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone, and deionized water were used as precursor, capping, and solvent, respectively.
The growth of ZnO nanostructures from evaporated solution was performed at three temperatures of
300, 400, and 500°C. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) demonstrated that ZnO
nanostructures formed in nanorods or cauliflower-like rods based on the growth temperature. X-ray
diffraction patterns of ZnO nanostructures prepared at different growth temperatures were indexed as
hexagonal Wurtzite structure without any impurity. The optical band gap energy evaluated by diffuse
reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) was 3.22∼3.29 eV. Optical properties of the ZnO nanostructures are
investigated by UV–Vis spectroscopy. There is a blue shift in the band edge with changing of the
growth temperature. The degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye demonstrated that ZnO nanorods
grown at the growth temperature of 300°C showed better photodegradation compared to other
nanostructures. Antifungal properties of ZnO nanorods against Candida albicans were much higher
than that of the other nanostructures. This method, compared to other synthesis methods of ZnO
nanostructures, offers several advantages, such as simplicity, cost-effectiveness, low-temperature,
atmospheric pressure, and large area deposition. Such a low-temperature growth method may expose
great opportunities for synthesis of ZnO nanorods onto various low-temperature-endurance substrates
and extend the field of ZnO-based nanoscale devices.

Keywords

Antifungal

atmospheric pressure solvent evaporation (APSE)

growth temperature

photodegradation

ZnO nanostructures

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