Influence of zinc precursor chemistry on the structural,morphological,and vibrational properties of ZnO nanostructures

Abstract

ZnO nanostructures were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using four different zinc precursors (zinc acetate, zinc chloride, zinc nitrate, and zinc sulfate) to systematically investigate the influence of precursor chemistry on their structural, morphological, and vibrational properties. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of the hexagonal wurtzite phase in all samples, with significant variations in crystallinity and lattice constants attributable to the nature of the precursor anions. ZnO synthesized from zinc chloride exhibited the highest degree of crystallinity, whereas the zinc sulfate–derived sample showed pronounced defect formation. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a strong dependence of morphology on the precursor type, yielding well-defined nanorod architectures for zinc acetate, nitrate, and chloride, while zinc sulfate produced irregular and highly agglomerated structures. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis verified the elemental purity of the samples, with Zn/O ratios indicating varying defect concentrations. Further insights from FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy highlighted differences in surface functional groups, lattice order, and defect states. Overall, these results demonstrate that precursor selection plays a critical role in tailoring the structural quality and defect characteristics of ZnO nanostructures, providing an effective strategy for optimizing their properties for targeted applications.