Large scale production of hexagonal ZnO nanoparticles using PVP as a surfactant

• Hexagonal shaped ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by using co-precipitation method.
• PVP capped ZnO nanoparticles were better than uncapped ZnO.
• An enhanced PL emission was observed in PVP capped ZnO nanoparticles.

ZnO nanoparticles were successfully prepared by co-precipitation method. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was proposed to graft onto the nanosized ZnO as a surfactant to reduce the particle size and also decreases the aggregation. The synthesized nanoparticles was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-visible absorption (UV–vis), Photoluminescence (PL) and Thermogravimetry (TG) study. The results showed that the crystalline quality, functional groups and the optical property of ZnO nanoparticles were improved. From SEM images, the dispersion and particle size improved a lot.