Novel synthesis of nanorod ZnO and Fe-doped ZnO by the hydrolysis of metal powders.

ABSTRACT

Fe-doped ZnO nanorods have been synthesized by a novel process employing a hydrolysis of metal powders. Zn and Fe nano-powders were used as starting materials and incorporated into distilled water. The solution was refluxed at 60 degrees C for 24 h to obtain the precipitates from the hydrolysis of Zn and Fe. X-ray diffraction patterns for all the samples showed a pure wurtzite single phase, without any segregation of the Fe into the particulates within the instrumental resolution limit. The TEM results for ZnO with and without an Fe-doping showed that the produced powders had a rod-like shape. The rod shape was attributable to the zinc oxide from the hydrolysis of Zn. With an increasing Fe content, the UV-vis spectra were shifted to a long wave length and this result indicates that the band gap was changed by an Fe-doping.