Metastable solid solutions in the system ZnO-CoO: synthesis by hydrolysis in polyol medium and study of the morphological characteristics

Metastable solid solutions in the system ZnO-CoO have been synthesized by hydrolysis of ionic zinc and/or cobalt salts in polyol medium. The solubility of Co in the zincite oxide was significantly increased (at.% Co = 65) compared to that obtained under thermodynamical equilibrium (at.% Co = 6.5 at 800 degreesC). CoO was also obtained via this route. The products are made up of sub-micrometer particles. A detailed study of their morphology along with pure ZnO particle morphology was conducted. Different growth mechanisms are evidenced. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.