Biosynthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Using Biological Polysaccharides for Application in Ceramics

Abstract

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized via a polysaccharide-assisted sol-gel process in this work. The nano-sized ZnO was obtained by zinc ions assembled on the biology polysaccharide gel network built of xanthan gum and konjac gum due to the synergistic interaction. Nanostructure studies were carried out using the techniques of thermal gravity, x-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and ultraviolet absorption spectrum (UV–Vis). It can be revealed that the morphology of the sample was nanoparticles with an average diameter of 53.5 nm when the polysaccharide content in the gel solution was optimized to be 0.8 wt.%. FTIR spectrum was adopted to reveal the formation of ZnO nanoparticles involving hydroxyl moieties of gums. The UV–Vis absorption spectrum showed that biosynthesized ZnO with a narrow bandgap of 3.10 eV was a promising material for a visible light absorbing semiconductor. Furthermore, ZnO nanoparticles with optimal polysaccharide content were observed to improve microstructural homogeneity of ZnO-based ceramic and the electrical performance.