Synthesis of ZnO Microrods by the Spray Pyrolysis Technique

Zinc oxide (ZnO) microrods were synthesized by the spray pyrolysis technique on aluminum substrates at a substrate temperature of 350 +/- 5 degrees C. The samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersion x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). XRD diffractograms presented the wurtzite (hexagonal) structure with (002) as the preferential orientation. The SEM observations showed typical microrods of hexagonal cross sections with lengths in the range 1.0-2.5 mu m and diameter in the range 300-400 nm. XRF and EDX analysis revealed that the samples contain chlorine, and other impurities, which are related to the aluminum substrate and the starting material zinc chloride (ZnCl2). It is found that the microrods are rich in oxygen, which make them of potential use in gas sensors, besides solar cells, lithium ion batteries and other electo-optic devices.