Fabrication and characterization of anodic ZnO nanoparticles

We have successfully fabricated ZnO nanoparticles by anodizing Zn sheet in 0.1 M sodium hydroxide solution. Morphology observations demonstrate that the sizes of the ZnO nanoparticles have a tendency to increase with rising anodic voltage. Detailed structural characterizations illuminate that oxygen vacancies exist in the anodic ZnO nanoparticles with wurtzite structure. Photoluminescence from the ZnO nanoparticles exhibits a very broad visible emission band, which can be Gaussian divided into three subbands around 2.4, 2.8, and 3.0 eV. Spectral examinations and analyses reveal that the three subbands are connected with oxygen vacancies, interstitial zinc sites, and the ZnOx matrix, respectively. Our results improve the understanding of the light-emitting mechanism in ZnO nanomaterials.