Microwave-assisted synthesis and characterization of flower shaped zinc oxide nanostructures

A microwave-assisted solution-phase approach has been applied for the synthesis of zinc oxide nanostructures. The synthesis procedure was carried out by using two reagents: hydrazine hydrate and ammonia. Flower shaped particles were obtained with hydrazine hydrate whereas mainly spherical agglomerated particles were observed with ammonia. The nanostructures were influenced by microwave irradiation time, reagent concentration and molar ratio of the precursors. High crystalline materials were found without the need of a post-synthesis treatment. The average crystalline size of ZnO nanostructures has been analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern and estimated to be 18 nm. The presence of flower shaped zinc oxide with nanorods arranged has been confirmed from Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) micrographs. The samples were further analyzed by Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and photoluminescence spectroscopic techniques.