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Electrochemical synthesis of nanocrystalline zinc oxide and phase transformations of zinc hydroxides

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Abstract

Nanoscaled ZnO was synthesized by an electrochemical process using zinc or Al-alloyed zinc electrodes in an aqueous system with acetic acid as a conductive salt. Depending on the synthetical parameters, the precipitated precursor solids were found to consist of various compounds such as zincite, presumably δ-Zn(OH)2, β1-Zn(OH)2, ε-Zn(OH)2, Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 and, in case an Al-alloyed electrode was used for the synthesis, Zn0.71Al0.29(OH)2 (CO3)0.145·xH2O. The intermediate solids served as precursors for the subsequent thermal treatment resulting in zincite powders with various morphologies. Depending on the processing conditions, zincite was formed between 100 and 260 °C with a mean crystallite size between 6 and 25 nm. Selected zincite powders were pressed to pellets, sintered at temperatures between 900 and 1,100 °C and characterized by measurements of the electrical bulk conductivities, yielding values up to 1.69 S cm−1 in samples with 1.24 wt% Al. Comparison with samples prepared by precipitation methods showed that the latter had values of up to 44 S cm−1.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge R. Karos for performing the high-temperature X-ray measurements. Dr. K. Steingröver and K. Gossmann are acknowledged for providing the AZO sample with 1.00 wt% aluminium. Last but not least, we thank C. Hartmann and M. Bonnard for continuously supporting us in the process of publication.

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  1. INM—Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Campus D2 2, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany

    Ingrid Grobelsek, Benjamin Rabung, Mario Quilitz & Michael Veith

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  1. Ingrid Grobelsek
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Correspondence to Michael Veith.

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Grobelsek, I., Rabung, B., Quilitz, M. et al. Electrochemical synthesis of nanocrystalline zinc oxide and phase transformations of zinc hydroxides. J Nanopart Res 13, 5103 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-011-0490-0

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