Effect of aerosol carriers on ultrasonically prepared nanocrystalline ZnO powders

Nanocrystalline ZnO powders were synthesized using ultrasonic spraying and decomposition technique. The compressed air and pure oxygen were used as aerosol carriers. Effect of aerosol carriers on ultrasonically atomized nanocrystalline ZnO powders was studied. The powders were characterized using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence. The influence of air and oxygen on crystallite morphology was studied using TEM. It was confirmed from TEM analysis that the crystallites were nearly spherical in powder prepared in the presence of compressed air. In the presence of pure oxygen, the crystallites could acquire regular hexagonal shape. Complete hexagonal shapes may be due to sufficient (100%) supply of pure oxygen during the process of formation of ZnO nanocrystallite. The powder with regular shaped crystallites could be highly pure and also stoichiometric in nature. Pure oxygen could therefore be more advantageous as carrier than air for production of nanocrystalline ZnO powder. The effect of aerosol carriers (compressed air and pure oxygen) on crystallite morphology of nanocrystalline ZnO powders is reported in this article.