One-Pot Synthesis of Nanoscale ZnO: Optical, Photocatalytic and Antimicrobial Properties

Abstract

In this article, we described a simple and facile method to synthesize nanoscale zinc oxide (ZnO) via thermal decomposition of a precursor complex zinc benzoate dihydrazinate. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images revealed nearly uniform ZnO nano brush like structure with an average diameter of about 8 nm and a length of few hundreds of nanometer. Optical property, crystallinity and purity of the as-synthesized nanoscale ZnO were investigated by ultraviolet visible (UV-visible), photoluminescence (PL), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). Effect of annealing on the optical property of nanoscale ZnO showed a bandgap narrowing, which could be accounted for better crystallization and decrease in the concentration of defects. Photocatalytic activity of nanoscale ZnO was evaluated by measuring the degradation of Rhodamine 123 dye under UV irradiation. The nanostructures exhibited good antibacterial activity against the microbial species and the clear zone diameter of the microbial inhibition is correlated to antimicrobial activity of nanoscale ZnO.