Plate-like zinc oxide microcrystals: Synthesis and characterization of a material active toward hydrogen adsorption

ZnO-based materials have been synthesized by means of hydrothermal method from aqueous solutions of ZnOH42− in the presence of sodium-dodecyl sulphate (SDS). By means of a variety of analyses (SEM, AFM, IR, UV–vis and XRD) it is shown that this synthesis method allows to obtain ZnO microcrystals with well defined morphology and active toward hydrogen adsorption. The adsorption of hydrogen on these zinc oxide platelets has been investigated by FTIR spectroscopy and the results are compared with those obtained on ZnO, synthesized by combustion of zinc metal.