Synthesis of Cu and Fe-doped ZnO nano-rod by hydrolysis of metal powders

Abstract

ZnOs with flower- and rod- like shapes were prepared by the simple hydrolysis of Zn metal powder. The starting material of Zn nano powder was put into distilled water. Small about of acetic acid was added, and the solution was then refluxed at 60 °C for 8 h. Cu and Fe-doped ZnO nanorods were synthesized by a very simple process employing a hydrolysis of metal powders. Zn, Cu, and Fe nano-powders were used as starting materials and incorporated into distilled water. The solution was refluxed at 60 °C for 24 h to obtain the precipitates from the hydrolysis of Zn, and the dopants (Cu and Fe). The TEM results for ZnO with and without metal doping showed that the produced powders had a rod-like shape. The rod shape was attributable to the zinc oxide from the hydrolysis of Zn. With an increase in the doping content, the UV-vis spectra were shifted to a long wave length and this result indicates that the band gap was changed by an metal -doping.