Intermolecular interactions of ZnO nanodispersion with aqueous polyethylene glycol via physicochemical and optical study

X-ray powder diffraction pattern, field emission scanning electron microscope image and Fourier transform infrared spectra of synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) confirm hexagonal crystal, hexagonal wurtzite structure and characteristic of mode (E2) for the hexagonal phase and formation of Zn-O band, respectively. Viscosity (η, ±10−4 mPa.s), surface tension (γ, ±10−3 mN m−1), friccohesity (σ, ±10−6s m−1) and activation energy (Δµ2*, ±10−3 kJ mol−1) of dispersion systems were studied. PEG400 and PEG6000 were used to disperse ZnO NPs in water at six micro molar concentrations from 25 to 150 µM at 303.15 K. Pendant drop numbers (n) and viscous flow times (t, s) were recorded using Borosil Mansingh Survismeter instrument. Recorded data were used for further calculations with Mansingh equations to assess the physicochemical properties and regressed for their limiting values and slopes. UV–visible spectrophotometer showed hyperchromic and hypsochromic effect due to the interaction of ZnO NPs with solvent in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG). This study focused on the effect of dispersion interactions of ZnO NPs in water, PEG400 and PEG6000. The molecular interaction mechanism were investigated through physicochemical and optical methods for ZnO NPs interaction with solvent molecules to improve the dispersion potential process. The results revealed a significant impact of NPs dispersion in water facilitated by PEG400 and PEG6000, which will be important for industrial suspensions and medicine to develop studies on additives dispersion.