Synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanocrystals from thermolysis of new precursor

ZnO nanocrystals were prepared by the thermolysis of Zn–surfactant complexes. The particle sizes of the nanocrystals were from 15 to 25 nm. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The synthesized ZnO nanocrystals have a hexagonal wurtzite structure.