Novel method to synthesis ZnO nanostructures via irradiation zinc acetate with a nanosecond laser for photocatalytic applications

In this study, a novel method to prepare ZnO nanostructures was proposed by irradiation zinc acetate with nanosecond laser in a liquid medium. Nd-YAG laser was used with energy of 180 mJ and 6000 pulses. As well as, the effects of using various liquids such as ethanol, deionized water, and ethylene glycol on the properties of the prepared ZnO were investigated. Structural, morphological, and optical properties were studied for all samples. Specifically, the X-ray diffractometer results revealed the presence of ZnO with hexagonal crystallization. Most importantly, as indicated by micrographs of scanning electron microscopy, the laser irradiation caused the immediate growth of ZnO nanorods in aqueous solution on the contrary of nanospheres which were grown in the other used solutions. Notably, the optical properties of the prepared ZnO showed that the highest absorption was obtained by ZnO nanospheres. Meanwhile, the energy gap was also studied and found to be between 3.5 and 3.59 eV. The incorporation of all these investigations provides a clear vision for growth mechanisms. This mechanism revealed the one-step growth of ZnO nanostructures with interesting properties that prepared by laser irradiation method. The splendid properties of nanorods structures enhance the photocatalytic performance of ZnO rather than spherical structures. The photocatalyst results revealed that the maximum decomposition of 5 ppm MB by the ZnO nanorods was greater than 98% which achieved after 40 min under UV light irradiation with a fixed catalyst concentration of 12 mg / L.