Simple Route to Prepare ZnO Nanoparticles and Study Their Optical Properties

Abstract

A simple electrochemical method called electrolysis was used in this research to create zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles from zinc and gold electrodes in diluted hydrochloric acid solution. The process of electrolysis was performed with a constant voltage of 5 V over 30 minutes in a mixture of HCl and water 12.5 % . The nanoparticles of ZnO were characterized by examining them with XRD, SEM, AFM and UV-Visible spectroscopy. Analysis of the particles showed that hexagonal wurtzite-phase ZnO nanoparticles have an average size between 30 and 50 nm.  Approximately 3.3 band gap was estimated for ZnO and the given spectroscopic data revealed another band gap of 4.2 eV which is likely because the sample contained ultra-small particles of ZnO. The procedure uses electrolysis which provides benefits such as low temperatures, friendliness to the environment and scalability, so it has potential for use in photocatalysis, gas sensing and optoelectronics.