HIERARCHICAL Zn5(OH)6(CO3)2 STRUCTURE ASSEMBLED IN AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION

Hydrothermal technique is demonstrated for achieving Zn-5(OH)(6)(CO3)(2) microstructure consisting of nanosheets on zinc foils in the presence of formamide. Formamide concentration and reaction temperature have significant influences on the size and shape of hierarchical Zn-5(OH)(6)(CO3)(2) structures. A self-assembly mechanism is proposed to explain the growth of Zn-5(OH)(6)(CO3)(2) microstructure, which can be transformed into sheet-like dense ZnO architectures without loss of the shape features by calcining in air.