Preparation, characterization and property study of zinc oxide nanoparticles via a simple solution-combusting method

In this paper we report the successful synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles by a simple solution-combusting method employing a mixture of ethanol and ethyleneglycol (V/V = 60/40) as the solvent, zinc acetate as the zinc source and oxygen gas in the atmosphere as the oxygen source. Powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to characterize the phase and morphology of the final product. The ultraviolet - visible (UV-vis) absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the product were studied. The experiments indicated that the as-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles could catalytically degrade organic dyes under the irradiation of UV light. Also, the electrochemical studies showed that ZnO nanoparticles could obviously enhance the ability of the electron transfer between the Au electrode and catechol. This simple method was also used to prepare other metal oxides, for example, cobalt oxide.