Characterization of ZnO Nanostructures Synthesized through a Thermal Oxidation of Zn--C Mixture in Air

Tetrapod-shaped ZnO crystals were synthesized via a simple oxidation process of Zn--C mixture in air at atmospheric pressure. The influence of carbon on the morphology and optical properties of the ZnO crystals was investigated. The ZnO crystals were characterized with an X-ray diffractometer (XRD),...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJapanese Journal of Applied Physics Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 01BJ14 - 01BJ14-3
Main Author Lee, Geun-Hyoung
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published The Japan Society of Applied Physics 01.01.2011
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Summary:Tetrapod-shaped ZnO crystals were synthesized via a simple oxidation process of Zn--C mixture in air at atmospheric pressure. The influence of carbon on the morphology and optical properties of the ZnO crystals was investigated. The ZnO crystals were characterized with an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and a cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy. With increasing the carbon content in Zn source material, the size of ZnO tetrapods increased significantly. However, tetrapod-shaped ZnO crystals were not found from Zn--C mixture with a weight ratio of $1:1$, indicating that carbon had an effect on the morphology of ZnO crystals as well as the size of tetrapods. CL spectra of the ZnO crystals exhibited a strong ultraviolet (UV) emission peak at 380 nm and a weak green emission peak at 510 nm. As the carbon content increased, the intensity of UV emission decreased and the green emission increased.
Bibliography:SEM images of ZnO crystals synthesized through a direct melt oxidation of Al--Zn mixture (a) without and (b) with the presence of C powder in air. XRD patterns of the as-synthesized products prepared by oxidation of Zn--C mixtures with different weight ratios of C/Zn: (a) 1/3, (b) 2/3, and (c) 3/3. FTIR spectrum taken for the ZnO crystals synthesized via oxidation of Zn--C mixture with a weight ratio of $\text{C/Zn}= 1/3$. SEM images of the ZnO crystals formed after the oxidation of Zn--C mixtures with different weight ratios of C/Zn: (a) 0/3, (b) 1/3, (c) 2/3, and (d) 3/3. CL spectra of the ZnO crystals synthesized from Zn--C mixtures with different weight ratios of C/Zn: (a) 0/3, (b) 1/3, (c) 2/3, and (d) 3/3.
ISSN:0021-4922
1347-4065
DOI:10.1143/JJAP.50.01BJ14