Synthesis, characterization and catalytic application of polyhedron zinc oxide microparticles

Zinc oxide (ZnO) microparticles of unique morphology were synthesized by the microwave heating method. The composition and morphology of the synthesized microparticles were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is clear from the XRD pattern that the product is highly pure and crystalline. It is shown from the SEM images that the hexagonal unit cells are arranged in the form of a polyhedral lattice. The length of the sides is equal at the middle of the lattice, and unequal on the terminal sides of the lattice. This is due to the alignment of the hexagonal unit cells. The size distribution histogram of the product possesses a sharp band which shows that it is monodisperse. This means that a monodisperse product can be obtained by the microwave heating method. The synthesized particles were used as a catalyst for the thermal degradation of ammonium perchlorate (AP) and the catalytic reduction of 2-nitrophenol (2-NP) and 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). The effect of temperature on the value of the apparent rate constant was also studied, and the values of the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were calculated. This shows that the catalyst possesses high efficiency for thermally degrading of substances at low temperatures and rapidly reducing the nitroarenes in an aqueous medium. (paper)