A solution-phase approach to the chemical synthesis of ZnO nanostructures via a low-temperature route

A low-temperature and effective precursor-based method has been demonstrated to synthesize nanostructured ZnO and its precursors with controllable morphology. It is found that the morphology of ZnO precursors has a strong dependence on the reaction conditions that include the molar ratio of reagents, solvent, and reaction temperature. Ethylene glycol used as an organic capping reagent is the key to determine the two-dimensional petal-like ZnO nanostructure. The structures and properties of the obtained-samples are characterized by a scanning electron microscope, an X-ray diffractometer, and an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The present technique is an easy and cheap method to synthesize nanoscale photonic and electronic materials. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.