Controllable synthesis of ZnO nanocrystals via a surfactant-assisted alcohol thermal process at a low temperature

Abstract With a convenient PVP (Polyvinylpyrrolidone)-assisted solvothermal process, ZnO nanocrystals, including Nanorods with diameters 20 to 30 nm and lengths within several hundred nanometers and nanoparticles with diameters between 20 and 30 nm, were obtained at a low temperature. Starlike ZnO nanocrystals with sizes around 100 nm were formed in a mixed alcohol solution without PVP. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis absorption spectra were used to characterize the as-prepared ZnO nanocrystals. Several major factors in the experimental process and the possible growth mechanism of nanocrystals with different morphologies were investigated.