Rapid and simple synthesis of 3D ZnO microflowers at room temperature

• ZnO microflowers were prepared at room temperature with reaction time of 30 min.
• Trisodium citrate was used as surfactant and complex reagent.
• No other hard templates were employed.
• ZnO microflowers exhibited weak UV and strong green PL emission.

Uniform flower-like ZnO superstructures were rapidly prepared on a large scale via a simple and inexpensive solution approach at room temperature. These ZnO microflowers having a mean diameter of about 4 μm, were assembled by numerous porous ZnO nanosheets with a thickness of 40 nm. The concentration of trisodium citrate and sodium hydroxide has great influence on the morphology of the final products, respectively. At room temperature, the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum showed that the ZnO microflowers exhibited a very weak UV emission peak located at 380 nm and a relatively strong green emission peak centered at 565 nm. This economical and efficient work may provide new insights into the fabrication of other metal oxide microstructures.

Uniform flower-like ZnO superstructures were rapidly prepared on a large scale via a simple and inexpensive solution approach at room temperature. Such ZnO microflowers exhibited a very weak UV emission peak located at 380 nm and a relatively strong green emission peak centered at 565 nm, which may be beneficial for their potential applications in gas sensors, photocatalysts, and so on.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide