Effect of Calcination Temperature on Crystalline phase and Grain size of ZnO Particles

Abstract

In today's technology, ZnO as a semiconductor, has emerged as a leading candidate in green environmental management systems, owing to its strong oxidation ability, good photocatalytic properties, and large free-exciton binding energy. ZnO is a costeffective, stable, and high photocatalytic material with good electrical properties and light transmittance, making it useful for various applications such as solar cells, photocatalysts, and electrical equipment. ZnO, being a photocatalyst, can be used for environmental clean-up efforts such as air purification, water purification, and deodorization. In this study, the zinc oxide (ZnO) was synthesised with a forced hydrolysis method and characterised by different characterization techniques. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to investigate the change in phase and crystal structure of ZnO particles at different calcination temperatures. Moreover, the average crystallite size of the particles was calculated at various calcination temperatures, using Scherrer equation. Also Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) used to image the surface morphology and size of the particles and it is found that the calcination temperature had a significant effect on the morphology of the particles. Additionally, differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) were used to observe the material transitions and changes in mass as the temperature increased.