Synthesis of ZnO nanorods through controlled airflow furnace

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods are highly valued for their exceptional optical, electrical, and mechanical properties, making them crucial for applications in electronics, optoelectronics, energy-harvesting, sensing, and biomedical fields. This study introduces a novel method for synthesizing ZnO nanorods using a controlled airflow furnace. Industrial-grade Zn dust was gradually heated in a 98% oxygen environment within a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) furnace, resulting in high-purity ZnO nanorods. Detailed characterization using FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and BET analysis confirmed the crystalline wurtzite structure of the ZnO nanorods. The nanorods displayed hexagonal shapes with diameters ranging from 20 to 140 nm and lengths from 600 to 1800 nm. BET analysis revealed a surface area of 0.753 m2/g and a pore volume of 0.001510 cc/g. This cost-effective and innovative approach significantly advances ZnO nanorod synthesis, offering substantial potential for gas sensing applications. These ZnO nanorods exhibit considerable potential in applications such as gas sensors, UV photodetectors, piezoelectric devices, solar cells, and photocatalysts for environmental remediation. Furthermore, they can be incorporated into rubber compounding as an activator, with the expectation that their rod-like structure will enhance the acceleration behavior compared to conventional ZnO.