Synthesis of dumbbell shaped ZnO crystals using one-pot hydrothermal method and their characterisations

A highly monodispersed dumbbell like ZnO mesostructure has been synthesized by a one pot surfactant assisted hydrothermal method using zinc acetate dihydrate as a precursor and dodecylamine as a surfactant. The crystalline, structural, morphology and optical properties of synthesized ZnO mesostructure were observed using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and their optical properties characterized using UV-visible (UV-vis) and photoluminescence spectroscopy. XRD results revealed that the prepared ZnO sample is highly crystalline having wurtzite crystal structure. The dumbbell like morphological features of ZnO structure is observed from SEM micrographs and TEM measurements. The bandgap energy of ZnO mesostructure was calculated as 3.50 eV using optical absorbance spectrum. Photoluminescence spectrum of prepared ZnO crystals showed the emissions peak in UV region at 395 nm attributed to near-band-edge emission of recombined holes with an energy state of a specific defect.