Growth Mechanism, Structural and Optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles

This paper using an electric field-assisted direct precipitation method synthesize the ZnO nanosheets with zinc nitrate hexahydrate and sodium carbonate. The synthesis processes with and without an electric field were compared. The morphology of the ZnO nanosheets was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements. The SEM results show that the application of an electric field caused the morphology transformation from flake-like to flower-like. It was found that an electric field had an effect on the crystal structure, the particle size and morphology. The photoluminescence spectrum of the synthesized ZnO nanosheets shows a strong ultraviolet emission at 249 nm. In addition, the formation mechanism of the ZnO nanosheets is discussed.