Synthesis and Characterization of Zincoxide Nanoparticles of Average Diameter 10nm in Aqueous Medium

Synthesis of Zincoxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) with definite size and shape and their morphological characterization rationally is really a challenging aspect at present due to the ongoing demand of these nanosize particles for their divergent use in different field of science and technology. Reduction of Zinc acetate dihydrate by sodium hydroxide was performed to produce ZnO NPs by following precipitation method. Here the whole reaction was completed in aqueous medium in low temperature. To characterize the synthesized ZnO NPs some recent techniques like X-Ray diffraction study (XRD), Ultra-Violet Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and Electron diffraction X-ray (EDX) were used systematically.

COMPARISON OF THE EFFICIENCY OF DIFFERENT DETECTORS OF THE SCANNING ELECTRONIC MICROSCOPE «MIRA-LMH» FOR STUDYING MICROSTRUCTURE OF NANOMATERIALS

На первом этапе были синтезированы объекты исследования - диоксид кремния методом Штобера, где в качестве прекурсора использовали тетраэтоксисилан, и нанокомпозит ZnO - Au золь-гель методом с использованием в качестве прекурсора 2 - водного ацетата цинка. На втором этапе, микроструктуру и морфологию полученных образцов исследовали методом растровой электронной микроскопии на сканирующем электронном микроскопе «MIRA-LMH» фирмы «Tescan» с применением как классического детектора вторичных электронов, так и дополнительных детекторов - внутрилинзового детектора вторичных электронов и детектора отраженных электронов. В результате исследований установлено, что при использовании детектора вторичных электронов получаются изображения с топографическим контрастом и практически без шумов. При использовании внутрилинзового детектора вторичных электронов создаются изображения только материального контраста, без влияния рельефа поверхности. Также использование данного детектора позволило получить высококачественные изображения с большим разрешением на расстоянии от образца 5 мм. При использовании детектора отраженных электронов с рабочим расстоянием до образца 8 мм и увеличении разрешающей способности микроскопа, полученные изображения имеют низкий контраст границ, но представляют композиционную информацию с высокой чувствительностью. Таким образом, установлено, что внутрилинзовый детектор вторичных электронов, с рабочим расстоянием до образца 5 мм, является оптимальным для получения четких изображений микроструктры поверхности наноматериалов при многократном увеличении. At the first stage, the objects of study were synthesized - silicon dioxide by the Stober method, where tetraethoxysilane was used as a precursor, and a nanocomposite ZnO - Au by the sol-gel method using the aqueous zinc acetate dihydrate as a precursor. At the second stage, the microstructure and morphology of the obtained samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy on a «MIRA-LMH» scanning electron microscope (Tescan company) using both a classical secondary electron detector and additional detectors - intralens secondary electron detector and back-scattered electrons detector. As a result of the research, it was found that when using the secondary electron detector, practically no noise images with topographic contrast are obtained. When using the intralens secondary electron detector, images of only material contrast are created, without the influence of the surface relief. Also, the use of this detector made it possible to obtain high-quality images with a high resolution at a distance of 5 mm from the sample. When using a back-scattered electrons detector with a working distance to the sample of 8 mm and increasing the resolution of the microscope, the resulting images have low border contrast, but represent compositional information with high sensitivity. Thus, it was found that the intralens secondary electron detector with a working distance of 5 mm to the sample is optimal for obtaining clear images of the microstructure of the surface of nanomaterials at multiple magnifications.

Administration of zinc to preterm infants with hypozincemia does not reduce serum copper concentrations in most cases: a single-center retrospective observational study

Background Zinc is an essential trace element involved in various physiological functions. In Japan, zinc acetate dihydrate is administered to neonates and infants with hypozincemia. Since serum copper concentrations are reduced by the administration of zinc, we retrospectively investigated changes in serum zinc and copper concentrations in preterm infants with hypozincemia receiving zinc acetate dihydrate. Methods Sixty-three preterm infants were included in the present study. Serum zinc and copper concentrations, doses, and other clinical characteristics were retrieved from electronic medical records. Results The medians and interquartile ranges of the dosage and duration of zinc acetate dihydrate were 2.1 (1.8–2.5) mg/kg/day and 12.0 (10.0–13.0) days, respectively. Its administration increased serum zinc concentrations in 39 patients (61.9%) and to more than 70 μg/dL in 16 patients (25.4%). The group with a serum zinc concentration of 70 μg/dL or higher after administration had a significantly higher zinc dose of 2.5 mg/kg/day than the group with a serum zinc concentration of less than 70 μg/dL. Serum copper concentrations did not decrease in 44 patients (69.8%). In the group with a decreased serum copper concentration, postmenstrual age and body weight were significantly lower, while serum zinc concentrations were significantly higher at the start of administration. Conclusion The present results showed that when zinc acetate dihydrate was administered to preterm infants with hypozincemia, it was possible to increase serum zinc concentrations without decreasing serum copper concentrations in many cases. However, caution may be required when administering zinc to preterm infants with a lower postmenstrual age or milder hypozincemia because serum copper concentrations may decrease.

The Effect of Solvent-Modification on the Physicochemical Properties of ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized by Sol-Gel Method

This study investigated the solvent effect on the synthesis of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle using sol-gel method. Zinc acetate dihydrate and oxalic acid were used as a chemical precursor for the synthesis of the ZnO nanoparticle considering the effects of various solvents. The effect of using water, propanol, or ethanol as solvent during the synthesis were examined. The resultant gel in the aqueous and organic moderate solvent was thermally cracked into ZnO nanoparticles at 450 °C under atmospheric pressure. The results showed that the solvent type has a significant effect on the morphology and particles size of the ZnO nanoparticles synthesized. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used to investigate the microstructure of the nanoparticles. The crystalline and chemical structure of the prepared ZnO nanoparticle were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The average diameter of nano-size particles obtained for ethanol, propanol and water are 79.55 nm, 83.86 nm and 85.59 nm, respectively. ZnO particles showed higher degree of crystalline in water compared to other solvents under current investigation. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Using a Patterned Sapphire Template And The Lift-off Technique To Synthesize ZnO Nanoflower Arrays With Enhanced Photoluminescence Properties

In this study, the hydrothermal method was used to synthesize ZnO nanorods and ZnO nanoflower arrays. Two different substrates were used to prepare the ZnO seed layer. For the p-type silicon <100> wafer, a prepared ZnO gel was deposited as the seed layer using the spin coating method. When a patterned sapphire recess-type substrate was used as a template, Al film, with a thickness of 120 nm, and OE-6370HF AB glue were used as a sacrificial layer and an imprinting lithography carrier for the ZnO seed layer, respectively. To prepare the array-patterned ZnO seed layers with a protrusion structure, a lift-off technique was used. A 0.2 M solution of zinc acetate dihydrate (Zn(CH3COO)2-2H2O) was used at a synthesis temperature of 90°C and a synthesis time of 10–60 min. Because the ZnO seed layer had a protrusion and matrix structure, the ZnO nanorods grew in the vertical bottom direction to form ZnO nanoflower arrays. X-ray diffraction patterns, scanning electron microscopy, and a focused ion beam system were used to analyze and compare the crystal characteristics and the heights and widths of the ZnO nanorods and ZnO nanoflower arrays. We found that the photoluminescence properties were enhanced in the ZnO nanoflower arrays compared with the ZnO nanorods.

Antimicrobial studies and characterization of ZnO nanoparticles by chemical method

Nowadays, nanotechnology is receiving worldwide recognition due to being its applications in various fields. Medium temperature and eco-friendly methods have shown great potential among nanoparticle synthesis. Many reducing agents are available for the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles; here we presented a simple solution method for the development of nano crystalline Zinc Oxide particles. Zinc acetate dihydrate was used as a starting material and synthesized particles were characterized by UV-Visible, FT IR, SEM, and EDAX analysis. Characterization studies revealed hexagonal nano crystalline Zinc Oxide particles with excellent morphological properties. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibit excellent antimicrobial activities against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

Hollow ZnO microspheres self-assembled from rod-like nanostructures: morphology-dependent linear and Kerr-type nonlinear optical properties

Hollow nanostructures have attracted attention because of their unique physiochemical properties and broad potential applications in electronics, optics and photonics. In this study, a facile hydrothermal approach was developed to fabricate hollow ZnO microspheres via self-assembled rod-like nanostructures. The morphology-controlled synthesis was conducted by altering hydrothermal treatment temperature (150, 200 and 250 °C) in solutions containing zinc acetate dihydrate precursor and glycerol as the stabilizing agent. The morphological observations indicated that hydrothermally grown ZnO architectures could be reasonably adjusted by modulating hydrothermal reaction temperature. Possible growth routes are proposed to elucidate the formation process of ZnO microspheres with the rod-like nanostructures. Morphology-dependent absorbance and emission along with red-shifts with improved crystalline qualities were observed with increasing hydrothermal growth temperature. Kerr-type nonlinear optical characteristics examined using single-beam Z-scan technique in the near infrared spectral range under nanosecond Nd-YVO4 laser pulses showed positive values of nonlinear refraction providing an evidence of self-focusing behaviors at the excitation wavelength of 1064 nm in all the samples studied. The highest Kerr-type nonlinear susceptibility was estimated to be 2.31 × 10–6 esu for hollow ZnO microspheres grown at 250 °C, suggesting synergistic effects of surface morphologies on optical nonlinearities.

Unravelling the Role of Synthesis Conditions on the Structure of Zinc Oxide-Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanofillers

The diversity of zinc oxide (ZnO) particles and derived composites applications is highly dependent on their structure, size, morphology, defect amounts, and/or presence of dopant molecules. In this work, ZnO nanostructures are grown in situ on graphene oxide (GO) sheets by an easily implementable solvothermal method with simultaneous reduction of GO. The effect of two zinc precursors (zinc acetate (ZA) and zinc acetate dihydrate (ZAD)), NaOH concentration (0.5, 1 or 2 M), and concentration (1 and 12.5 mg/mL) and pH (pH = 1, 4, 8, and 12) of GO suspension were evaluated. While the ZnO particle morphology shows to be precursor dependent, the average particle size length decreases with lower NaOH concentration, as well as with the addition of a higher basicity and concentration of GO suspension. A lowered band gap and a higher specific surface area are obtained from the ZnO composites with higher amounts of GO suspension. Otherwise, the low concentration and the higher pH of GO suspension induce more lattice defects on the ZnO crystal structure. The role of the different condition parameters on the ZnO nanostructures and their interaction with graphene sheets was observed to tune the ZnO–rGO nanofiller properties for photocatalytic and antimicrobial activities.

Synergistic Dual Catalytic System and Kinetics for the Alcoholysis of Poly(Lactic Acid)

Plastic pollution is a global issue that is approaching crisis levels as plastic production is projected to reach 1.1 GT annually by 2050. The bioplastic industry along with a circular production economy are solutions to this problem. One promising bioplastic polylactic acid (PLA) has mechanical properties comparable to polystyrene (PS), so it could replace PS in its applications as a more environmentally sustainable material. However, since the bioplastic PLA also suffers from long biodegradation times in the environment, to ensure that it does not add to the current pollution problem, it should instead be chemically recycled. In this work, PLA was chemically recycled via alcoholysis, using either methanol or ethanol to generate the value-added products methyl lactate and ethyl lactate respectively. Two catalysts, zinc acetate dihydrate (ZnAc) and 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP), were tested both individually and in mixtures. A synergistic effect was exhibited on the reaction rate when both catalysts were used in an equal ratio. The methanolysis reaction was determined to be two-step, with the activation energy estimated to be 73 kJ mol−1 for the first step and 40.16 kJ mol−1 for the second step. Both catalysts are cheap and commercially available, their synergistic effect could be exploited for large-scale PLA recycling.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NEEM-BASED ZINC OXIDE PHOTOCATALYST

The use of chemicals for the synthesis of photocatalyts poses threat to the environment. In this study, an active photocatalyst, Dalbejiya Dongoyaro (Azadirachta indica)-based zinc oxide (ZnO) was biosynthesized from zinc acetate dihydrate using sol gel and precipitation methods. The synthesized samples were characterized using Fourier Transfer InfraRed (FTIR), X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD), Brunauer Emmet Teller (BET), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) characterization techniques. The XRD and SEM analysis of the green synthesized and non-green synthesized ZnO demonstrated the formation of hexagonal wurtzite crystalline structure and agglomerated morphology. EDX analysis demonstrated the existence of Zn and O as the major constituents of the as-synthesized nanoparticles with traces of carbon which could be attributed to the carbon tape of the sample holder. The BET analysis displayed that the surface area of the ZnO nanoparticles increased from 23.75 to 97.08 cm3/g after the green synthesis. Based on the surface area values, it can be derived that neem leaf extract enhanced the surface area of the green synthesized sample. Green synthesis is a promising route for the synthesis of photocatalyst nanoparticle which is environmentally friendly and sustainable method. Keywords: Zinc oxide, Neem leaf extract, Photocatalyt, Degradation, Bio-synthesis