Synthesis of ZnO Nanoparticles by Direct Precipitation Method

Abstract

In this study, Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were prepared using Zinc nitrate (Zn(NO3)2) and Ammonium carbonate ((NH4)2CO3) in aqueous solutions with proper concentration by a direct precipitation method. The properties of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized were characterized by the thermal gravimetric (TG) and differential thermal gravimetric (DTG), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. Both TG and DTG curves of the precursor precipitates show that no further mass loss and thermal effect were observed above the temperature 450°C. The FT-IR results indicated that the precursor of ZnO nanoparticles was zinc hydroxy carbonate. The XRD results show that the prepared ZnO nanoparticles were pure wurtzite structures. TEM photographs demonstrated that ZnO nanoparticles were of a pseudo-spherical shape with an average crystal size of about 65 nm.