Controlled synthesis of nano-ZnO via hydro/solvothermal process and study of their optical properties

ZnO nanocrystals with different morphologies were successfully synthesized via simple solvothermal method. Zinc acetate was used as a zinc source and sodium decyl sulfate as a structure-directing template. The influence of the solvent (tetrahydrofuran THF) on the morphology and structure was elucidated systematically. The morphology, particle size, crystalline structure and optical properties of the as-prepared ZnO were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL). The photoluminescence spectra have identified several kinds of defects in as-synthesized ZnO materials.