Electrochemical tailoring of lamellar-structured ZnO films by interfacial surfactant templating

Zinc oxide films with ordered lamellar structures can be electrochemically produced by interfacial surfactant templating. This method utilizes amphiphile assemblies at the solid-liquid interface (i.e., the surface of a working electrode) as a template to electrodeposit inorganic nanostructures. To gain the ability to precisely tailor inorganic lamellar structures, the effect of various chemical and electrochemical parameters on the repeat distances, homogeneity, orientation, and quality of the interfacial amphiphilic bilayers were investigated. Surfactants with anionic headgroups (e.g., 1-hexadecanesulfonate sodium salt, dodecylbenzenesulfonate sodium salt, dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt, mono-dodecyl phosphate, and sodium dodecyl sulfate) are critical because they incorporate Zn(2+) ions into their bilayer assemblies as counterions and guide the lamellar growth of ZnO films. Unlike surfactant structures in solution, the interfacial surfactant assemblies are insensitive to the surfactant concentration in solution. The use of organic cosolvents (e.g., ethylene glycol, dimethyl sulfoxide) can increase the homogeneity of bilayer assemblies when multiple repeat distances are possible in a pure aqueous medium. In addition, organic cosolvents can make the interfacial structure responsive to the change in bulk surfactant concentrations. The presence of quaternary alkylammonium salts (e.g., cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) as cationic cosurfactants improves the ordering of anionic bilayers significantly. Consequently, it also affects the orientation of lamellar structures relative to the substrate as well as the surface texture of the films. The quality of lamellar structures incorporated in ZnO films is also dependent on the deposition potentials that determine deposition rates. A higher degree of ordering is achieved when a slower deposition rate (I < 0.15 mA/cm(2)) is used. The results described here will provide a useful foundation to design and optimize synthetic conditions for the electrochemical construction of broader types of inorganic nanostructures.     

Low-temperature polymer-assisted synthesis of shape-tunable zinc oxide nanostructures dispersible in both aqueous and non-aqueous media

We report the shape-controlled synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures by a poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME)-assisted alkaline hydrolysis of zinc acetate at low temperature (20 °C). In this method, ZnO nanostructures of various morphologies including dumbbells, lances and triangles have been successfully prepared via a simple variation of different reaction parameters such as polymer concentration, pH of the reaction mixture and precursor concentration. However, without PVME, ZnO of such structurally uniform morphologies were not formed; rather ZnO of a mixture of defined and undefined morphologies were obtained indicating PVME-assisted the growth of such regular shaped ZnO nanostructures. HRTEM analysis of lance- and triangle-shaped samples as well as SAED patterns of all kinds of samples (dumbbell, lance and triangle) revealed that the ZnO nanostrcutures are single crystalline in nature and might form through oriented growth. XRD analysis also revealed the formation of well crystalline ZnO with a hexagonal structure. FTIR spectroscopy and TGA analysis confirmed the adsorption of PVME on the surface of ZnO nanostructures. Being a solvent adaptable polymer, the adsorbed PVME makes these shaped ZnO nanostructures highly dispersible in both polar and non-polar organic solvents including water. The extent of dispersibility in different solvents was studied by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Such solvent adoptability of PVME-coated ZnO nanostructures increases its ease of applications in device fabrication as well as in biological systems.     

Facile solution route to vertically aligned, selective growth of ZnO nanostructure arrays

For any future cost-effective applications of inorganic nanostructures, in particular, hybrid photovoltaic cells, it is essential that these inorganic nanomaterials be solution processable and selectively printable. This letter reports the selective growth of single-crystal ZnO nanostructures based on the microcontact printing of an inorganic nanocrystal seeding film. The pattern-transfer quality is dependent on the concentration of the inking solution. Variable yet controllable anisotropic growth of ZnO nanowires has been demonstrated on the transferred patterns of ZnO nanocrystal films. The patterning and growth of these highly ordered arrays of ZnO nanostructures employ a simple soft lithography technique and mild reaction conditions at low temperature and in the absence of harmful organic additives.     

The impact of physiological buffer solutions on zinc oxide nanostructures: zinc phosphate conversion

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures have been widely used in biosensor applications. However, little attention has been given to the interaction of ZnO structures with physiological buffer solutions. In the present work, it is shown that the use of buffers containing phosphate ions leads to the modification of the ZnO tetrapodal micro/nanostructures when immersed in such solutions for several hours, even at the physiological pH (7.4). ZnO samples designed to be used as transducers in biosensors were immersed in phosphate buffers for several durations at pH = 5.8 and pH = 7.4. Their detailed morphological, structural and optical characterization was carried out to demonstrate the effect of the ZnO interaction with the phosphate ions. The pH had an important role in the ZnO conversion into zinc phosphate, with lower pH promoting a more pronounced effect. After 72 h and at pH = 5.8, a significant amount of the ZnO structures were converted into crystalline zinc phosphate, while immersion during the same time at pH = 7.4 resulted predominantly in amorphous zinc phosphate particles mixed with the original ZnO tetrapods. Photoluminescence spectra show remarkable changes with prolonged immersion times, particularly when the luminescence of the sample was investigated at 14 K. These findings highlight the importance of a careful analysis of the sensing results when phosphate-based buffer solutions are in contact with the ZnO transducers, as the changes observed on the transduction signal during sensing experiments may also comprise a non-negligible contribution from a phosphate-induced transformation of ZnO, which can hamper an accurate assessment of the sensing behavior.     

Investigation of the dynamics of radiolytic formation of ZnO nanostructured materials by pulse radiolysis

ZnO nanostructures have been synthesized by radiolytic methods. A Cobalt-60 γ-source and a 7 MeV linear electron accelerator (LINAC) was used for the radiolysis experiments. Reducing agent like hydrated electron (e_aq⁻), which is produced in radiolysis of water, was used to synthesize ZnO nanostructure materials from zinc salt. 1 M tert-butanol was used to quench the primary oxidizing radical like hydroxyl radical (OH) radiolytic water solution. Doses of about 80–130 kGy were used to perform radiolysis experiments in the present investigation. Time-resolved pulse radiolysis has been used to monitor the transient species involved in the formation of ZnO nanostructures by monitoring at different wavelengths. A scheme for the formation of the ZnO nanostructured materials by the radiolytic method has been described. The formation of ZnO nanostructures was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements indicated that the size of the nanostructures is in the range of 6–8 nm, which is in agreement with that obtained from XRD. It is interesting to note that ZnO nanostructured materials, as prepared by the radiolytic method, exhibit strong room-temperature fluorescence.     

Inorganic/organic mesostructure directed synthesis of wire/ribbon-like polypyrrole nanostructures

We report here a simple strategy for the synthesis of wire/ribbon-like polypyrrole nanostructures using lamellar inorganic/organic mesostructures as templates which were formed during polymerization between surfactant cations and oxidising anions and which were degraded automatically after polymerization.     

Thermally stimulated current and differential scanning calorimetry spectroscopy for the study of polymer nanocomposites

The thermally stimulated discharge current (TSC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) spectroscopy have been recorded in 25 μm thick samples of pristine polycarbonate (PC) and zinc oxide nano particle-filled polycarbonate. Polycarbonate (PC)/zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposites of different mass ratio (e.g., 1, 3, and 5%) were prepared by sol–gel method, followed by film casting. The glass transition temperature of nanocomposite samples increases with increase in concentration of ZnO nano fillers. It is due to the strong interaction between inorganic and organic components. The TSC peaks of nanocomposite and pristine PC indicate the multiple relaxation process. It has been observed that the magnitude of TSC decreases with increase in concentration of nanofillers. The TSC characteristics of 5% filled nanocomposites shows exponential increase of current at higher temperature region. This increase in current is caused by formation of charge-transfer complex between inorganic phase (e.g., ZnO) and organic phase (e.g., PC). Thus, the nano material like zinc oxide transfers the charge carriers from inorganic phase to organic phase rapidly and resultant current increases exponentially. This current is known as leakage current or breakdown current. TSC peak height is observed as a function of the polarizing field. The height of TSC peak increases as the field increases in pristine PC, while TSC peak height is suppressed in nanocomposite samples. This indicates the amount of space charge is smaller in the nanocomposites with a proper addition of ZnO nano fillers than in the pristine PC.     

Fabrication of 3D rotor-like ZnO nanostructure from 1D ZnO nanorods and their morphology dependent photoluminescence property

A facile and eco-friendly sonochemical route to fabricate well-defined dentritic (rotor-like) ZnO nanostructures from 1D ZnO nanorods without alloying elements, templates and surfactants has been reported. Phase and structural analysis has been carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy, showed the formation of hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) study showed the formation of rotor-like ZnO nanostructure having a central core which is surrounded by side branches nanocones. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) study showed that these nanocones grow along [0001] direction on the six {01–10} planes of central core ZnO nanorods. A plausible formation mechanism of rotor-like ZnO nanostructures was studied by SEM which indicates that the size and morphology of side branches can be controlled by adjusting the concentration of OH^? ions and time duration of growth. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of the synthesized rotor-like ZnO nanostructures exhibited a weak ultraviolet emission at 400 nm and a strong green emission at 532 nm recorded at room temperature. The influence of morphology on the origin of green emission was discussed in detail. The results suggested a positive relationship among polar plane, oxygen vacancy and green emission.     

Preparation of ZnO nanoparticles by a surfactant-assisted complex sol–gel method using zinc nitrate

This paper presents a surfactant-assisted complex sol–gel method for the controlled preparation of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles using zinc nitrate and citric acid as starting material. ZnO nanoparticles with a pure wurtzite structure were obtained after calcination at 773 K. The effects of the citric acid concentration, the pH, and the surfactants on the average particle size and morphology of the ZnO nanoparticles were investigated using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Well dispersed ZnO nanoparticles with a uniform size distribution were obtained using polyethylene glycol (PEG) 2000 as a surfactant. During sintering, the ZnO nanoparticles revealed isotropic growth below 1,373 K and anisotropic growth above 1,473 K. The particles’ activation energy was calculated to be 140 ± 6 kJ/mol between 773 and 1,373 K.     

Zinc oxide growth morphology on self-assembled monolayer modified silver surfaces

Using organic molecules to direct inorganic crystal growth has opened up new avenues for controlled synthesis on surfaces. Combined with soft lithography to form patterned templates, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have been shown to be a powerful approach for the assembly of inorganic nanostructures. In this work, we show that the surface free energy of SAM-modified silver, which depends on end groups and deposition method of SAMs, has a dramatic effect on the nucleation and growth of crystalline ZnO, a technologically important material, from supersaturated solutions. For SAMs with inert methyl end groups, ZnO nucleation is inhibited. For SAMs with chemically active (carboxylic or thiol) end groups, the ZnO morphology is found to be three-dimensional nanorods on low-surface-energy surfaces and two-dimensional thin films on high-energy surfaces.     

Synthesis of ZnO nanobundles via Sol–Gel route and application to glucose biosensor

ZnO nanobundles were fabricated by Sol–Gel route. The as-prepared ZnO nanobundles were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM and PL. ZnO nanobundles structure are composed of many nanorods of about 80 nm in diameter and 0.6 μm in length. It showed weaker UV emission and stronger green emission. A glucose biosensor was constructed using these ZnO nanobundles as supporting materials for glucose oxidase (GO_X) loading by chitosan-assisted cross-linking technique. The biosensor exhibits a high affinity, high sensitivity, and fast response for glucose detection. These results demonstrate that zinc oxide nanostructures have potential applications in biosensors.     

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of ZnO nanostructures

The paper reports on the use of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to determine the doping character and carrier density of freshly prepared and annealed ZnO nanostructures. The ZnO nanostructures were obtained by chemical oxidation of metallic Zn in a 5% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) aqueous solution at 95 °C for 24 h. The as-grown nanostructured ZnO samples display a high donor density of 3.71 ± 0.88 × 10²¹ cm^?3. Annealing at 100 and 200 °C did not have any effect on the donor density while thermal annealing at 300 °C in air for 1 h induced a decrease in the doping concentration without affecting the surface morphology.     

Direct electrochemistry of myoglobin immobilized on chitosan-wrapped rod-constructed ZnO microspheres and its application to hydrogen peroxide biosensing

Rod-constructed zinc oxide (ZnO) microspheres (RZnOMs), consisting of hundreds of needle-like ZnO nanorods, were utilized to explore a novel biosensor through coupling with myoglobin (Mb) in the presence of chitosan (Chi). Biocompatibility and electrochemical properties of the resulting ZnO-Chi-Mb composite film were studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The results revealed that the RZnOMs-based composite was a satisfying matrix for proteins to effectively retain their native structure and bioactivity. With advantages of the unique inorganic material, facilitated direct electron transfer of the metalloenzymes was acquired on the RZnOMs-based enzyme electrode. Moreover, the RZnOMs-based biosensor also displayed significant electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of hydrogen peroxide with an apparent Michaelis–Menten constant (32 μM), wide linear range (2–490 μM), and low detection limit (0.21 μM, S/N = 3). These indicated that the RZnOMs were one of the ideal candidate materials for direct electrochemistry of redox proteins and related biosensor construction.     

Acerate ZnO whiskers and sodium alginate films: preparation and application in bioelectrochemistry of hemoglobin

A novel biocompatible acerate ZnO whiskers (AZW) has been prepared. We explored AZW and sodium alginate for the construction of electrochemical biosensors. The composition, morphology, and size were studied by scanning electron microscopy. UV–vis spectra revealed that hemoglobin (Hb) adsorbed in the acerate ZnO whiskers and sodium alginate retained its native structure. The amperometric response was measured as a function of H₂O₂ concentration at a fixed potential of −0.25 V in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.0). The electrochemical parameters of Hb in acerate ZnO whiskers and sodium alginate were calculated with the results of the electron transfer coefficient (α) and the apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (k _s) as 0.5 and 2.5 s⁻¹, respectively, indicating good facilitation of the electron transfer between Hb and the modified electrode, which may result from the unique nanostructures and larger surface area of acerate ZnO whiskers. The hydrogen peroxide biosensor showed a fast response of <5 s of linear range 2.1 μM–4.8 mM, with a detection of 0.7 μM (S/N = 3). The apparent Michaelis–Menten constant K_m^app K_m^{{app}} is 0.8 mM. The biosensor possesses high sensitivity, good reproducibility, and long-term stability.     

A Systematic Study of ZnO/CuO Core/Shell Nanostructures Pegylated by Microwave Assistant Reverse Micelles (RM) Method

In this work we synthesized ZnO/CuO nanostructures pegylated by simple and fast microwave method assistant reverse micelles, Reverse micelles protocol creates many advantages in stability, particle size control, morphology, density, loading level, distribution, uniformity, charge and purification. Based on the statistical results ZnO/CuO nanostructures placed in the hydrophilic substrate. The effect of microwave and concentration of surfactant on the surface area, pore diameter and pore volume of the final product was systematically studied using Taguchi technique. ZnO/CuO core/shell pegylated nanostructures, indicating a ZnO as core and CuO as shell and continuous micelles chains around this structures. Products were characterized by UV–Vis spectra, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Dynamic light scattering, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption (i.e. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis).     

Enzymes and phytochemicals from neem extract robustly tuned the photocatalytic activity of ZnO for the degradation of malachite green (MG) in aqueous media

The malachite green (MG) is very difficult to degrade in water; thus, it needs an efficient photocatalyst. In this study, neem extract was used to tune the surface and crystal properties of ZnO nanostructures for the photodegradation of MG. The biosynthesized ZnO samples were prepared by hydrothermal method in the presence of 5, 10 and 15 mL of neem extract. The structural characterization has shown nanoparticle like morphology of ZnO as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and hexagonal phase was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The XRD analysis has shown a shift in the 2 theta towards lower angle for ZnO with increasing amount of neem extract. Also, the crystallite particle size of ZnO was decreased with increasing neem extract. The UV–visible spectroscopy has shown the decrease in the optical band gap of ZnO, and the lowest band gap is possessed by ZnO sample produced with 15 mL of neem extract. The ZnO sample obtained with 15 mL of neem extract has shown approximately 99% degradation efficiency for MG for 70 min in aqueous solution. The superior photocatalytic activity of ZnO sample with 15 mL of neem extract could be attributed from the decrease in charge recombination rate due to the decreased optical band gap and particle size.

     

ZnO纳米管有序阵列与Cu2O纳米晶核壳结构的光电化学性能及全固态纳米结构太阳电池研究简

采用电化学方法在铟锡氧化物(ITO)导电玻璃基底上制备了高度有序的ZnO纳米管阵列,然后在ZnO纳米管阵列上电化学沉积Cu2O纳米晶颗粒,获得了一维有序Cu2O/ZnO核壳式纳米阵列结构,通过控制Cu2O纳米晶的沉积电量得到不同厚度的Cu2O壳层,并对该核壳式纳米阵列的形貌和结构进行了分析. 以Cu2O/ZnO一维核壳式纳米阵列结构为光电极组装全固态纳米结构太阳电池,研究了Cu2O壳层厚度对光电极光吸收性能、光电性能以及组装电池光伏性能的影响,优化了电池中对电极材料的喷金厚度. 结果表明,以Cu2O沉积电量为1.5 C的Cu2O/ZnO为光活性层,以4 mA电流下真空镀金20~25 min的铜基底为对电极组装的简易太阳电池最高可获得0.013%的光电转换效率.     

Organic-inorganic matrix for electrochemical immunoassay: Detection of human IgG based on ZnO/chitosan composite

A new strategy to construct amperometric immunosensor for human IgG assay based on ZnO/chitosan composite as sensing platform has been described. This material, which combined the advantages of inorganic species, ZnO and organic polymer, chitosan, can maintain biological activity well. A sequential sandwich immunoassay format was performed on the ZnO/chitosan composite supported by glass carbon electrode (GCE) using goat-anti-human IgG antibody (IgG Ab) and human IgG as a model system. Amperometry was used to determine the amount of horse-radish peroxidase (HRP) fixed on the sensor surface, which was related to the content of the desired human IgG. Assay conditions that were optimized included the amount of labeled antibody, the incubation time and temperature, the pH of the substrate solution, etc. Using hydroquinone as a mediator, amperometric detection at −150 mV (versus SCE) resulted in a detection range 2.5-500 ng mL⁻¹, with a detection limit of 1.2 ng mL⁻¹. The simple manipulations of the construction of ZnO/chitosan composite, as well as low-cost and broad linear range, are the main features of the proposed immunosensing method.     

Ag/ZnO Catalysts with Different ZnO Nanostructures for Non‐enzymatic Detection of Urea

Silver coated ZnO nanorods and nanoflakes with different crystallographic orientations were synthesized by a combination of sputter deposition and solution growth process. Catalytic properties of morphology‐dependent Ag/ZnO nanostructures were then investigated for urea sensors without enzyme. Ag/ZnO nanorods on carbon electrodes exhibit a higher catalytic activity and an improved efficiency than Ag/ZnO nanoflakes on carbon electrodes. Ag/ZnO nanorod catalysts with more electrochemically surface area (169 cm² mg^?1) on carbon electrode facilitate urea electrooxidation due to easier electron transfer, which further promotes the urea electrolysis. The Ag/ZnO nanorod catalysts also show a significant reduction in the onset voltage (0.410 V vs. Ag/AgCl) and an increase in the current density (12.0 mA cm^?2 mg^?1) at 0.55 V vs Ag/AgCl. The results on urea electrooxidation show that Ag/ZnO nanostructures can be a potential catalyst for non‐enzymatic biosensors and fuel cells.     

Passivation layer–dependent catalysis of zinc oxide nanostructures

Electrochemical and photoelectrochemical catalysis of surface-passivated zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures with three different metal oxides were investigated. Initially, vertically aligned ZnO nanorods structures were developed over conductive substrates by a two-step approach and then passivated with an ultrathin zinc hydroxide, that is, Zn(OH)₂, cobalt oxide, that is, CoO, and Zn(OH)₂/CoO as bilayer, by electrochemical deposition. Compared with the pristine ZnO structures, the surface-passivated nanostructures possess slightly rough surfaces, whereas their crystal structure remains unchanged. From electrochemical catalysis studies under dark and illumination, it is noticed that vertically aligned ZnO nanostructures passivated with narrow band-gap CoO layers have a predominant water oxidation performance than that of the structures passivated with other oxide materials. It is mainly attributed to the eradication of surface states present on ZnO nanorods. Interestingly, the structures passivated with bilayers, that is, Zn(OH)₂/CoO, showed significant stability and durability (～103% retention in current density@60^th min) with a continuous oxygen evolution reaction process for long durations.