Solid State Synthesis and Characterization of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Microflakes by [Bis(acetylacetonato)zinc(II)] and Sodium Hydroxide at Room Temperature

A novel and simple one-step solid state reaction in the presence of a suitable surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and a novel precursor, bis(acetylacetonato)zinc(II)]; Zn(acac)₂]; has been developed to synthesize uniform zinc oxide microflakes with an average thickness of 0.3–2.4 μm. In the absence of SDS the product samples contained microrods. The formation of zinc oxide microflakes depends on the molar ratio of Zn(II)/SDS and the experimental procedure. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, surface area, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy to depict the phase and morphology. The synthesized ZnO microflakes have a hexagonal zincite structure.