Synthesis and magnetic properties of hexagonally packed ZnO nanorods

Large-scale uniform aligned ZnO nanorods with a hexagonal tip were successfully synthesized via a facile process at low temperature of (similar to 140 degrees C) without using any additives and substrate. The process is based on a simple reaction of zinc powder and de-ionized water. The results reveal that the as-prepared ZnO products have an average length of 10 mu m and a diameter in the range of 50-260 nm, possessing a single crystal wurtzite structure. The structure and morphology of the ZnO products are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). The possible formation mechanism of nanorods is proposed in brief. The optical properties of grown products were characterized by room-temperature. The magnetic property was tested with a vibrating sample magnetometer at room temperature and revealed a high hysteresis loop indicating a strong ferromagnetic nature of as synthesized ZnO nanorods. The yield producing nanorods with this method includes ease, flexibility, fast being low cost and ineffective on environment free. (C) 2012 King Saud University. Production and hosting by Elsevier EN. All rights reserved.