Aluminum zinc oxide nanostructures with customized size and shape by non-aqueous synthesis

The non-aqueous sol-gel synthesis of aluminum zinc oxide (AZO) nanocrystals with controllable size and morphology at comparatively low temperatures is presented. By varying the reaction chemistry, customized aluminum zinc oxide nanorods and nanospheres with adjustable composition and tailored morphology between 0D and 1D were obtained. We furthermore show that the bandgap can be engineered by the Al content. Additionally, the growth kinetics and the influence of various process parameters such as the reaction temperature and precursor concentration as well as the scale-up from a 45 mL autoclave to a 500 mL reactor were investigated.