Nanoparticles of ZnO obtained by mechanical milling

Structural and optical characterization of mechanically milled ZnO powders are presented in this paper. It is shown that the application of mechanical milling is a very effective and simple technique to produce nanocrystalline powders, with the possibility of obtaining large quantities of materials. The milled powders are analyzed by X-ray diffraction, positron annihilation spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). As milling proceeds, a clear reduction of grain size and homogenization are observed.