Recent advances in the plasma-assisted synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles

Gregor Primc (Author), Katja Brenčič (Author), Miran Mozetič (Author), Marija Gorjanc (Author)

Abstract

An overview of recent work on the low-temperature plasma-assisted synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles is presented and interpreted in terms of gas-phase and surface reactions with illustrated examples. The thermodynamical nonequilibrium conditions allow the formation of chemically reactive species with a potential energy of several eV, which readily interact with the Zn precursors and initiate reactions leading to the formation of nanoparticles or nanowires. The highquality nanowires were synthesized from Zn powders only upon interaction with moderately ionized plasma in a narrow range of plasma parameters. This technique is promising for the synthesis of large quantities of nanowires with aspect ratios well above 10, but the exact range of parameters remains to be determined. Apart from the ex situ techniques, the ZnO nanoparticles can be synthesized by depositing a film of precursors (often Zn salts or Zn-containing organometallic compounds) and exposing them to oxygen plasma. This technique is useful for the synthesis of well-adherent ZnO nanoparticles on heat-sensitive objects but requires further scientific validation as it often leads to the formation of a semicontinuous ZnO film rather than nanoparticles. Both low-pressure and atmospheric plasmas are useful in converting the precursor film into ZnO nanoparticles despite completely different mechanisms.

Keywords

plasma;synthesis;zinc oxide;nanoparticles;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2021
Typology:	1.02 - Review Article
Organization:	UL NTF - Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering
UDC:	533
COBISS:	61486851
ISSN:	2079-4991
Views:	139
Downloads:	41
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Type (COBISS):	Article
Pages:	str. 1191-1-1191-19
Volume:	ǂVol. ǂ11
Issue:	ǂno. ǂ5
Chronology:	2021
DOI:	10.3390/nano11051191
ID:	14696222