A facile nonaqueous solution approach to controlling the size of ZnO crystallites and predominant {0001} facets

Abstract

ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by thermal decomposition method using only oleylamine solvent. ZnO nanoparticles with the diameter varying from 3 to 150 nm were obtained by simply controlling the reaction time and number of synthesis repetition. A blueshift of main photoluminescence (PL) peak from 3.26 to 3.29 eV is observed when the diameter of ZnO nanoparticles decreases from 5 to 3 nm. 150 nm ZnO particles show a high crystallinity and the main shapes of triangle and hexagon. Interestingly, with a simple way of using a mixture of zinc acetate and zinc acetylacetonate complex as a precursor, we obtain ZnO nanoparticles in almost flat hexagonal shape which is useful for catalytic activities of ZnO in several chemical reactions, such as absorption of CO on the surface of ZnO during methanol synthesis.