Solvothermal synthesis of ZnO with different morphologies in dimethylacetamide media

ZnO materials with a range of different morphologies have been synthesized via a simple solvothermal method in dimethylacetamide (DMAc) media. DMAc was used as the base source and solvent in such solvothermal syntheses for the first time. The effect of the DMAc content in the solvothermal process on nucleation, growth, and the final morphology of the ZnO nanostructures was investigated. XRD results revealed that single-phase ZnO with the wurtzite crystal structure was obtained for different DMAc contents in solution. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed high purity of the as-prepared ZnO crystals. SEM imaging showed that ZnO with spherical shapes, dumbbell, and rod-like were synthesized by controlling DMAc content. In addition, vibrational properties of ZnO crystals with different morphologies were investigated by Raman spectroscopy. The optical properties of the as-prepared ZnO materials were investigated by UV–vis absorption and room temperature photoluminescence. The possible mechanism was also proposed to account for the growth of the ZnO crystals in the DMAc solvent.