Tartaric Acid Mediated Gelation Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and their Photocatalytic Activity

The present study elaborateson the gel assisted evolution of ZnO nanoparticles from zinc acetate and tartaric acid in aqueous and non-aqueous media. The effect of solvents and pH on the gelation characteristics were studied in zinc acetate and tartaric acid system and the ideal composition for the effective gelation is found out. The gelation processes were evaluated with respect to time using a rheometer and the various structural features of the gel were studied. The crystallographic, structural, morphological and functional features of the samples were studied with the help of X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and UV-Vis. Spectrophotometry(UV-Vis). The experimental parameters that decide the formation of < 50 nm sized single phase zinc oxide nanoparticles were thoroughly investigated. The evolution of spherical clusters of zinc oxide from the zinc-tartarate gel network was studied and discussed with the help of different characterization techniques. Photocatalytic application studies of gel derived ZnO nanoparticles were also reported. (c) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.