Facile microwave hydrothermal synthesis of zinc oxide one-dimensional nanostructure with three-dimensional morphology

A facile microwave hydrothermal (M-H) solution route employing the reaction of Zn(NO3)2·6H2O and NaOH under hydrothermal conditions has been demonstrated to successfully synthesize a single-crystal zinc oxide (ZnO) one-dimensional nanostructure (ODNS) with a novel three-dimensional (3D) morphology. The microwave plays an important role and is necessary for the synthesis of ZnO with the complex nanostructure. The formation mechanism of this complex nanostructure is proposed. A red shift of the absorption edge of nano-ZnO is also observed. The absence of metal catalyst, template or surfactant in this method avoids the subsequent complicated workup for the removal of the residual additives. Furthermore, a substantial reduction in the reaction time as well as the reaction temperature is observed compared with the hydrothermal process.