Green synthesis of ZnO2 nanoparticles from hydrozincite and hydrogen peroxide at room temperature

A green method based on the reaction between hydrozincite (Zn-5(CO3)(2)(OH)(6)) powder and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 30 wt.%) in aqueous solution at room temperature was developed for the synthesis of ZnO2 nanoparticles. Results from X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and Raman demonstrated that the resultant products were pure cubic phase ZnO2 nanoparticles, whose sizes were in the range of 3.1-4.2 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that between 180 and 350 degrees C, the as-synthesized ZnO2 nanoparticles had a weight loss of about 16.7%, consistent with the theoretical amount (16.4%) of the O-2 released from ZnO2 decomposition (ZnO2 = ZnO + 1/2O(2)). The present method was green, simple and cost-effective, which should be suitable for large-scale production of multifunctional ZnO2 nanoparticles. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.