Various shaped-ZnO nanocrystals via low temperature synthetic methods: Surfactant and pH dependence

•ZnO nanocrystals by low-temperature methods have been synthesized.•ZnO nano rod-, carnation-, and flower-like structures have been identified.•Morphologies of ZnO seed films are strongly affected by pHs of sol–gel solutions.•Various surfactants have affected the growth of ZnO nanocrystals.

ZnO nanocrystals, rod-, carnation-, and flower-like structures, have been synthesized in a high yield through low-temperature synthetic methods. Well-aligned ZnO nanorods having hexagonal wurtzite structure were grown on the ZnO thin films assembled by a spin-coating method. The morphologies of ZnO seed films are affected by pHs of sol–gel solutions, resulting smaller sizes and homogeneous roughness at higher pHs and higher number of spin-coating times. The carnation-like structures, average size of about 2–3 μm, were assembled by tens of uniform ZnO nanosheet petals of ∼50 nm in thickness when a different volume ratio of the precursory solution was used. ZnO nanocrystals on the facets of the compact ZnO nanorods have grown to linear nanorods having an average diameter of ∼500 nm and length of ∼2 μm. Furthermore, a noticeable difference in the growth of ZnO nanocrystals in the presence of various surfactants, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinylsulphonic acid, and polyethyleneimine, has been observed and discussed.

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