Microwave-assisted hydrothermal growth of ZnO micro-nano structures

Various methods have been introduced to synthesize ZnO nanostructures, however as in most nanomaterial fabrication processes, these methods require sophisticated equipment and relatively high cost. Hydrothermal method has been known as a simple and inexpensive route to produce ZnO nanostructures. Unfortunately, this method takes a long production time in order to produce high quality ZnO hence making it less efficient. In this study, ZnO micro-nano structures have been successfully synthesized via a fast and low wattage microwave-assisted hydrothermal growth. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope characterizations were done on samples. The rapid heating process generated from rotation, friction and collisions of water molecules inside the microwave resulted in faster reaction process compared with conventional hydrothermal method. Due to its time and cost efficient, this method is useful for optimizing the resulted ZnO and its further applications. (paper)