Electrooxidized ZnO Nanoparticles

In this research, ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using electrooxidation method for the first time. This method is based on electrooxidation of zinc in the presence of an amine which acts as a supporting electrolyte and electrostatic stabilizer. The amine was used in order to control the particle size and also to avoid the aggregation of particles during the synthesis of the particles. An electrochemical cell containing a zinc cathode, a sacrificial zinc anode, and aqueous solution of (CH3)4NCl salt was used for all experiments. In order to investigate the effect of cell voltage on structural and optical properties of the products, the experiments were performed under various voltages between 3V to 15V. Structural investigation of products by X-ray diffraction confirmed the hexagonal phase for all products. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the products have covered by the surfactant. Finally the results obtained by scanning and transmission electron microscopy and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy showed that the average size and also the size distribution of as-prepared samples decrease with increasing the cell voltage.