Electrochemical synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles

The anodic behaviour of zinc was investigated in ethanol solution containing LiCl and water. Zinc was polarised by using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. During the course of the dissolution of zinc, a colloidal suspension of ZnO nanoparticles was obtained in 0.1 M LiCl/ethanol solutions that contain H2O. The suspension is formed only if water is present, and the rate of the process depends on the water content. Moreover, the concentration of H2O directly influences the size of the particles. However, there is evidence of a Zn-5(OH)(8)Cl-2 center dot H2O admixture, which is detectable in the precipitates obtained with a high concentration of water. Polarisation of zinc under the given conditions is a very simple method of producing ZnO nanoparticles. ((C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008).