Purification and stabilization of colloidal ZnO nanoparticles in methanol

Purification and stabilization of colloidal ZnO nanoparticles synthesized from zinc acetate dihydrate and potassium hydroxide in methanol have been performed. Isopropanol and hexane were utilized to achieve the precipitation-redispersion washing procedure in methanol. The results from atomic absorption spectroscopy show that the concentration of K+ cation can be dramatically reduced by washing. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy results show that zinc layered double hydroxide formed in the ZnO precipitate can be effectively removed through concentrating the unpurified ZnO colloids by solvent evaporation. The purified ZnO nanoparticles can be fully redispersed in methanol, but become unstable with time due to the low concentration of acetate in the colloids. Fortunately, the unstable ZnO methanol colloids are found to become stable after addition of a small amount of hexane. The present study is of particular significance for the preparation of purified colloidal ZnO nanoparticles for device fabrication, functional ZnO coatings and polymer nanocomposite applications.