Effects of milling time on the formation of nanocrystalline ZnO

Abstract

The effects of milling times on the mechanically milled ZnO powder are presented in this work. The milled powders are analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). In order to quantify these effects, analysis by the Rietveld method is carried out. It is shown that the application of mechanical milling is a simple technique to produce nanocrystalline powder. A clear reduction of grain size with an increase of microstrain and lattice parameters is observed with increasing milling time.