Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of zno, mgo and zno/mgo nanocomposites

• Main Authors: Bhuvaneshwari, S. (Author), Rahman, B.S (Author), Satheeskumar, S. (Author), Velayutham, J. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rasayan Journal of Chemistry, c/o Dr. Pratima Sharma 2021
• Subjects: FT-IR; Hydrothermal; MgO; Nanocomposites; XR-D; ZnO
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 Nano Zinc oxide (ZnO) with different morphologies including spherical-like, granular shapes, have been hydrothermally synthesized at low temperature at 100˚C using stainless steel autoclave. It was found that the volumes of added Sodium hydroxide and Zinc acetate dihydrate in water play a crucial role in the morphological control of ZnO nanostructure. Based on structural information provided by FTIR, XRD and SEM, a possible growth mechanism for the formation of spherical ZnO structures was discussed. The optical properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were studied by Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and strong absorption peaks at 279 nm for all synthesized nanoparticles. From that study, the band gap was also calculated and it was 3.79, 3.64 and 3.55 eV respectively for ZnO, MgO and ZnO/MgO nanocomposites. Nanoparticles of MgO are prepared by using the sol-gel route. The MgO nanograins were sphere-like and needle-like and had a large surface area. The grain size was obtained using XRD data. The X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the formation of nanoparticles of MgO. The structural morphology and optical properties of the nanoparticles were studied using SEM. The formation of the nanostructure is confirmed using FTIR. A process was proposed for the synthesis of ZnO/MgO nanocomposites using sol-gel preparation of ZnO and magnesium with an alkali solution following by annealing in the range of 400°C. X-ray powder diffraction showed crystalline ZnO and MgO phases in the resulting composite. The zinc oxide nanoparticle size was weakly affected by the molar ratio of zinc to magnesium. © 2021, Rasayan Journal of Chemistry, c/o Dr. Pratima Sharma. All rights reserved.