Radiation-Chemical Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanopowders and Zinc Oxide–Silver Composites

Abstract

Zinc oxide nanopowders (NPs) possess unique properties and are used in many industries. Moreover, by employing various synthesis and processing methods, it is possible to produce a material that is most suitable for a particular task. In this work the textural, morphological and phase analysis of ZnO NPs as well as their composites produced using a radiation-chemical method were conducted. ZnO NPs was produced using a liquid solution of hexahydrate zinc nitrate in isopropyl alcohol, while ZnO–Ag composite by adding silver nitrate to this solution. ZnO–Zn–Ag composite was produced through the deposition of silver NPs on ZnO–Zn NPs, which were preliminarily synthesized by pulsed electron beam evaporation method. The results shows that the Zn–ZnO–Ag composite is mesoporous with a complex pore size distribution. According to microscopy data the centers of silver ion condensation are small ZnO NPs, the number of which increases during annealing, as indicated by X-ray diffraction data, leading to the formation of a predominantly fine-dispersed fraction.