ZnO spherical porous nanostructures obtained by thermal decomposition of zinc palmitate

• Calcination of zinc palmitate produce pure ZnO nanoparticles and nanostructures.
• By controlling the calcination temperature different morphologies are obtained.
• Calcination of Zinc Palmitate at 800 °C produces spherical ZnO nanostructures.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles and nanostructures were prepared by a facile thermal decomposition approach using zinc palmitate as zinc precursor compound. Structural analysis using X-Ray diffraction showed that all products were of high purity and crystallized in the hexagonal wurtzite-type structure. By controlling the calcination temperature and the cooling process two different morphologies were obtained: well dispersed ZnO nanoparticles and porous spherical aggregates.