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The Chemical Educator
ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)
Abstract Volume 25
(2020) pp 69-74
Morphological Control of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Imaged with
Scanning Electron Microscopy: An Integrative Laboratory Module
Wenting He,† John C. Mann‡, Joseph M. Fritsch*,†
† Department of Chemistry, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90263, joseph.fritsch@pepperdine.edu; ‡Department of Physics, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90263 Received September 20, 2019. Accepted December 4, 2019.
Published: 23 April 2020
Abstract. An undergraduate laboratory experiment
utilizing inorganic chemistry synthetic methods and characterization techniques
for nanoscale materials is described. Zinc oxide nanocrystals in the wurtzite
crystal structure of varying morphology were rapidly synthesized with aqueous
hydrothermal conditions at 90 °C from aqueous solutions of zinc nitrate,
hexamethylenetetramine, and a growth modifier additive. Single crystal
hexagonal prisms were prepared as rods (typical aspect ratio = 5.5) with sodium
glycolate as a growth modifier additive while trisodium citrate yielded
hexagonal plates (typical aspect ratio = 0.7).
Ethylenediamine and ammonia yielded columnar hexagonal pyramids (florets) and
hexagonal dipyramids (daggers), respectively. All nanocrystals were isolated
with vacuum filtration, and crystal morphology was observed with scanning
electron microscopy. This interdisciplinary laboratory module prepares
students for future work in the field and has been used in an upper division
inorganic chemistry course and would be suitable for use in a physics curriculum
as well.
Key Words: Laboratories and Demonstrations; inorganic chemistry
(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: joseph.fritsch@pepperdine.edu)
Article in PDF format (615 KB) HTML format
Supporting Materials:
Supporting The student handout for Lab #2 ZnO Nanotechnology is available. (1420 KB)
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