Size, morphology and optical properties of zirconia (ZrO2) nanostructures synthesized via the facile ionic surfactant-assisted solvothermal method

Zirconia (ZrO2) nanostructures, assisted by various ionic surfactants were successfully achieved via the facile ionic surfactants-assisted solvothermal method with the average crystallite size of 7.09–15.22 nm. The spherical, cauliflower-petal and needle-like nanostructures were confirmed by SEM studies and possible growth mechanisms of the nanostructures were proposed. The increasing trends of the band gap energy confirm the quantum confinement effect for the prepared samples. The strong UV emission in photoluminescence of the prepared samples indicates the high purity, perfect crystallinity and is good candidate material for optoelectronic devices.