Sonochemical effects on ZnO particles

Abstract

A variety of technological applications related to oxide semiconductor-based devices have attracted great interest among the scientific community, leading to an increase in studies of these materials during the last years. Among such materials, zinc oxide (ZnO) has applications in several areas, from light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to photovoltaic devices in solar cells. Considering the physical and chemical properties conferred to these materials, the possibilities of application in technological devices depend greatly on the synthesis routes employed. Accordingly, we investigated the morphological modifications in ZnO particles when subjected to sonochemical treatment and the influence of related synthesis method parameters, such as the time and amplitude of sonication. To analyze such effects, four samples were prepared with different sonochemical treatment conditions: in two, the amplitude of sonication was kept constant while varying the time of sonication, and in the other two, the time was kept constant while varying the amplitude. The analysis of the results obtained indicated that sonochemical treatment led to superficial morphological modifications in ZnO particles. Furthermore, these modifications became more apparent when higher amplitude and longer time of sonication were employed in sample synthesis.