Crystallization of ZnO in Aqueous Precursor Solution at 90 degrees C

ZnO crystallization from suitable aqueous precursor solutions is well known, albeit with crystal growth modifiers and high calcination temperatures. However, processing parameters such as molarity, pH, stirring, and mixing of the reacting solutions can be controlled to make the reactants react at lower activation energies (also implying lower crystal growth temperatures) to obtain the final product. The motivation behind this work is to show that by proper mixing and stirring and using appropriate molarities of the reactants, the kinetics of ZnO formation can be designed, and highly crystalline and oriented ZnO can be obtained with ease. In this work, 0.1 M zinc acetate and 8 M KOH aqueous solutions are slowly mixed while stirring and then reacted at 90 degrees C to obtain wurtzite crystal structured ZnO without calcination at high temperatures.