ZnO Surface (zno + surface)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Facile and Reproducible Synthesis of Nanostructured Colloidal ZnO Nanoparticles from Zinc Acetylacetonate: Effect of Experimental Parameters and Mechanistic Investigations

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 33 2009
Alessia Famengo
Abstract A facile and reproducible route to nanostructured colloidal ZnO nanoparticles was developed by controlled hydrolysis and condensation of zinc acetylacetonate in alkaline conditions. By reaction of an ethanolic solution of Zn(acac)2 with NaOH in a 1:2 molar ratio, after reflux, ZnO spherical nanoparticles were obtained that displayed a homogeneous size distribution; particle diameters ranged from 6 to 10 nm, as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. The same reaction was carried out also in water, glycerol and 1,2-propanediol, to investigate the effect of the solvent viscosity and dielectric constant on the final features of the obtained material. Irrespective of the nature of the solvent, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows the formation ofhexagonal ZnO, whereas the presence of residual unreacted Zn(acac)2 could be ruled out. Indeed, different particle sizes and very different morphologies were obtained. Also the reflux step was shown to be a key factor in avoiding the fast precipitation of a floc and achieving a pure compound, which was isolated and thoroughly characterised. The composition of the obtained ZnO was determined by elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), showing the formation of pure ZnO. IR spectroscopy evidenced the presence of adsorbed organic ligands on the colloid surfaces. Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFT) revealed the presence of medium- to high-strength acidic sites on the ZnO surface. To gain a deeper insight into the formation mechanisms of these nanostructures, time-resolved UV/Vis and XAS studies were performed on the ethanol solution used for the synthesis of the oxide and also on the solid specimen, obtained after the refluxing step. No remarkable changes could be evidenced in the solution after the addition of an understoichiometric amount of NaOH, but the growth of the ZnO nanoparticles could be followed by UV/Vis spectra. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009) [source]


Enhanced Antibacterial Activity of Nanocrystalline ZnO Due to Increased ROS-Mediated Cell Injury

ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 6 2009
Guy Applerot
Abstract An innovative study aimed at understanding the influence of the particle size of ZnO (from the microscale down to the nanoscale) on its antibacterial effect is reported herein. The antibacterial activity of ZnO has been found to be due to a reaction of the ZnO surface with water. Electron-spin resonance measurements reveal that aqueous suspensions of small nanoparticles of ZnO produce increased levels of reactive oxygen species, namely hydroxyl radicals. Interestingly, a remarkable enhancement of the oxidative stress, beyond the level yielded by the ZnO itself, is detected following the antibacterial treatment. Likewise, an exposure of bacteria to the small ZnO nanoparticles results in an increased cellular internalization of the nanoparticles and bacterial cell damage. An examination of the antibacterial effect is performed on two bacterial species: Escherichia coli (Gram negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive). The nanocrystalline particles of ZnO are synthesized using ultrasonic irradiation, and the particle sizes are controlled using different solvents during the sonication process. Taken as a whole, it is apparent that the unique properties (i.e., small size and corresponding large specific surface area) of small nanometer-scale ZnO particles impose several effects that govern its antibacterial action. These effects are size dependent and do not exist in the range of microscale particles. [source]


ZnO-based photodetector with internal photocurrent gain

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 8 2010
L. A. Kosyachenko
Abstract The photoresponsive structures prepared by magnetron sputtering of ZnO on p-Si substrates followed by vacuum evaporation of semitransparent Ni film on ZnO surface are investigated. The obtained Ni/n-ZnO/p-Si structures show high sensitivity that sharply increases with increase in applied voltage. Under a bias voltage of 5,V, the responsivities at ,,=,390,nm and ,,=,850,nm were equal to 210 and 110,A/W, which correspond to quantum efficiencies of 655 and 165, respectively. It is assumed that the observed strong response is attributed to internal gain in the Ni/n-ZnO/p-Si phototransistor structure containing Ni/n-ZnO Schottky contact as the emitter junction and n-ZnO/p-Si heterostructure as the collector junction. The response time of the device is ,10,7,s. Alternative mechanisms of photocurrent multiplication in such structures are also discussed. [source]


FIB fabrication of ZnO nanotetrapod and cross-sensor

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 7 2010
Lee Chow
Abstract This article presents the fabrication of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanotetrapod and cross-nanorods-based sensors. This low-dimensional device is made in a focused ion beam set-up by using nanodeposition for metal electrodes. The gas response of the sensor based on an individual zinc oxide nanotetrapod and on crossed ZnO nanorod for detection of ultraviolet (UV) light and hydrogen at room temperature is presented. It is shown that ZnO tetrapod has potential application as UV and as chemical sensor with multi-terminal construction. The chemisorbed gas molecules on the ZnO surface can extract or donate electrons to ZnO and this effect was used to monitor the electrical resistance values change of the tetrapod sensor. ZnO tetrapod sensor demonstrates sensitivity and selectivity in resistance upon exposure to UV light, H2, O2, NH3, CO, CO2, and LPG gas. The resistivity change is different for UV and for H2 gas sensing. The presented ZnO sensor proves to be promising for application in various processes. [source]


Formation of CdO dots on atomically flat ZnO surfaces

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 4 2006
M. Ebihara
Abstract Atomically flat terraced ZnO surfaces were prepared with thermal annealing in air. CdO dots were successfully formed on the ZnO substrate surfaces with in-situ post-growth thermal annealing of CdO layers grown by metalorganic molecular-beam epitaxy. Well-organized alignment of the CdO dots along surface atomic-step edges on the terraced surfaces is demonstrated. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Surface-graft hyperbranched polymer via self-condensing atom transfer radical polymerization from zinc oxide nanoparticles

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 9 2007
Peng Liu
We present the synthesis of hyperbranched polymer grafted zinc oxide (ZnO) hybrid nanoparticles by self-condensing vinyl polymerization (SCVP) via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerizations (SI-ATRP) from ZnO surfaces. ATRP initiators were covalently linked to the surfaces of ZnO particles, followed by SCVP of an initiator-monomer ("inimer") which has both a polymerizable group and an initiating group in the same molecule. Well-defined polymer chains were grown from the surfaces to yield hybrid nanoparticles comprised of ZnO cores and hyperbranched polymer shells having multifunctional chlorobenzyl functional end groups. The percentage of grafting (PG%) achieved 429% in 6 h, calculated from the elemental analysis results. The hybrid nanoparticles were also characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV,vis absorption spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:1296,1301, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]