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Novel synthesis of ZnO using 2D clinostat with enhanced photocatalytic performance

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Abstract

The 2D clinostat provides an efficient and straightforward ground-based facility to simulate near functional weightlessness. Here, a study of ZnO crystal formation on a 2D clinostat utilizing a wet chemical technique at ambient temperature is reported for the first time. It was found out that the ZnO growth under clinostat conditions exhibits higher photocatalytic activity compared to its counterpart growth under normal conditions. The clinostat environment appears to reduce sedimentation of particles in colloidal suspensions, which is greatly affected by gravity, leading to uneven growth in various systems before the emergence of crystal defects.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge this work was financially supported by a Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) (FP064-2014A), SATU Grant (RU022F-2014) and Postgraduate Research Fund (PG228-2015A). Special thanks to United Nations Human Space Technology Initiative (UN-HSTI): Zero-Gravity Instrument Project (ZGIP).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nanotechnology & Catalysis Research Centre (NANOCAT), Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Mohd Rashid Yusof Hamid & Boon Hoong Ong

  2. Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA), 42700, Banting, Selangor, Malaysia

    Mohd Helmy Hashim

  3. National Planetarium, Lot 53, Jalan Perdana, 50480, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Tze Kian Jong

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  1. Mohd Rashid Yusof Hamid
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  2. Boon Hoong Ong
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  3. Mohd Helmy Hashim
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Correspondence to Boon Hoong Ong.

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Hamid, M.R.Y., Ong, B.H., Hashim, M.H. et al. Novel synthesis of ZnO using 2D clinostat with enhanced photocatalytic performance. MRS Communications 12, 83–89 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43579-021-00144-7

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