We report the synthesis of interconnected ZnO nano structures through the addition of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) in a growth medium consisting of ZnCl2 and NaOH at a temperature of 70 0C with a reaction time of 24 hrs. The formation of interconnected ZnO is evaluated in accordance with the reaction time and reaction temperature used for the synthesis, and samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infra- red (FTIR) spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) analysis, Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Photoluminescence (PL) and Electrochemical methods. BET studies show the mesoporous nature of ZnO grown with the addition of PVP in the growth medium. Interconnected ZnO nanostructures exhibit efficient visible light driven photo catalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) attributed to interconnected morphology of ZnO. Electro chemical studies have shown that the interconnected ZnO nanostructures give higher order specific capacitance.
ZnO is an important semiconductor material with different morphological features suitable for various functional applications. This work showcases an easy method for synthesizing morphologically pencil-like nano ZnO structures having a hexagonal bottom-neck and a pyramidal top notch by self-propagating solution combustion synthesis. The growth of the pencil-like ZnO structure was achieved by controlling the pH of the precursor solution for the combustion synthesis with the addition of adequate quantity of ammonia solution. Pencil-like ZnO structures were characterized with X-ray diffraction, field-effect scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared analysis, and Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. ZnO with pencil-like structure were showing about 98% of degradation efficiency of Methelene Blue. The enhanced photocatalytic and electrochemical properties were attributed to the combined effect of specific morphology of ZnO and the presence of amorphous carbon in the sample.
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