Morphological and structural properties of ZnO powders

Zinc oxide (ZnO) powders were prepared by the homogenous precipitation method and then calcined at 400, 600 and 800°C for 2 and 4 h. At once the powders were milled in a planetary ball milling during 2, 4 and 8 h at a constant speed of 400 rpm. The ZnO phase was analyzed from X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization. The morphology of the particles was analyzed from both Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The XRD patterns confirmed the wurtzite structure of ZnO powders. SEM images showed an homogenous distribution of the particle size, whereas from TEM analysis the particle size was determined with a higher precision.