Simple hydrothermal synthesis method for tailoring the physicochemical properties of ZnO: Morphology, surface area and polarity

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2014

Authors

Cecilia Mateos-Pedrero (Author) FEUP; David A. Pacheco Tanaka (Author) FEUP; Adélio Mendes (Author) FEUP; Hugo Silva (Author) FEUP; Cesar Magén (Author) Other

Journal

Title: RSC Advances

Vol. 4 No. 59

Pages: 31166-31176

ISSN: 2046-2069

Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 11 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 11 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Chemical engineering

CORDIS: Technological sciences > Engineering > Chemical engineering

Associated Projects

PTDC/EQU-EQU/104217/2008 - Integração de células de combustível de electrólito de membrana polimérica com membranas de paládio de elevada eficiência

BeingEnergy - Integrated low temperature methanol steam reforming and high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

LEPAE/CEFT - RL1 - Chemical Engineering: Process Optimization and Energy Conversion

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-009-QEB

DOI: 10.1039/c4ra05002a

Abstract (EN): A simple urea-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method was used to tailor the physicochemical properties of ZnO materials. The role of Pluronic P123 block copolymer in the crystal growth, morphology and specific surface area of the as-prepared ZnO was studied. When Pluronic P123 is used, well-dispersed hierarchical microspheres, with a flower-like morphology, are obtained, but in its absence large spherical agglomerated clusters are formed. The polarity of the ZnO, measured as the ratio between plane (002) and plane (100), is also significantly higher for the Pluronic P123 sample. The influence of zinc salt precursors was also analysed. The use of zinc nitrate led to the formation of urchin-like ZnO structures, instead of the microflowers that result from zinc acetate salt. Despite having similar surface areas, the polarity of the zinc nitrate sample was much smaller. The decomposition of methylene blue corroborated the higher photocatalytic activity of the ZnO materials with a higher proportion of polar planes (higher polarity). The formation mechanism of the crystals is also suggested based on the observed gradual growth and assembly of the hydrozincite during the initial steps of the synthesis for the samples with and without Pluronic P123.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

Notes: Publicação abrangida pelo Journal Citation Reports 2015

No. of pages: 11