Precisely Designed Synthesis of Hollow Zn<sub>2</sub>SiO<sub>4</sub> Particles from ZnO/SiO<sub>2</sub> Core/Shell Particles with Varied Silica Thicknesses
ZnO/SiO2 core/shell particles were prepared by the hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate on ZnO nanoparticles (particle size of ca. 50–200 nm) and ZnO nanorods (diameter of 124 nm and length of 400–950 nm). The silica shell thickness was varied (28 to 40 nm) to adjust the composition (Si/Zn ratio) by reiterating the coating procedure. Heat treatment of ZnO nanoparticle/SiO2 core/shell particles with suitable stoichiometry (Si/Zn ratio of 0.5) at 1000 °C resulted in the formation of single-phase Zn2SiO4 as hollow particles. The use of ZnO with different morphologies (ZnO nanorods) (leading to ZnO nanorods/SiO2 core/shell particles) with a Si/Zn ratio of 0.616 confirmed the generality of the synthetic method by the formation of hollow Zn2SiO4 nanorods as the main product despite the presence of minor amounts of ZnO. This study demonstrates a systematic structural design to obtain ZnO/SiO2 core/shell particles with precisely tuned composition and its application to the formation of hollow Zn2SiO4 particles of different morphologies.
Authors
- Siraphat Jan Cheepborisutikul (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5224-5585)
- Tanika Kessaratikoon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7203-702X)
- Makoto Ogawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3781-2016)
- Valerio D’Elia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5881-2496)
Institutions
- Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (TH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Crystal Growth & Design
- Published
- 2025-02-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.4c01320
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- ZnO doping and properties
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.04
Funders
- Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology
- National Research Council of Thailand