Hydrothermal synthesis of Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanotubes and its electrophoretic deposition on nickel filter

Multi-walled ZnO nanotubes were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal treatment of nanowire-rod like ZnO powders without use of any catalysts, plate or substrates. ZnO nanotube structures were synthesized at a low temperature of 180 °C in an aqueous solution including nanowire-rod like ZnO powders and hydrogen peroxide. The synthesized ZnO nanotubes were coated on 3D nickel filters by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique. It is shown that the obtained multi-walled ZnO nanotubes show antibacterial behavior and have variable inner diameters of 5–17 nm, outer diameters of 10–22 nm and 8–9 layers. It is suggested from the results obtained that formation of zinc oxide nanotubes from nanowire-rod like ZnO structures can be explained with Kirkendall-type diffusion.

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► Multi-walled ZnO nanotubes with inner diameters of 5–17 nm, outer diameter of 10–22 nm and with a length up to 400 nm are prepared via a low-temperature hydrothermal synthesis process.
► The multi-walled ZnO nanotube arrays provide a strong antibacterial effect.
► It is suggested that the obtained multi-walled ZnO nanotubes can be used for engineering and antimicrobial applications.