An Ultrafast and Post-Treatment Free Method of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesis Using Anodic Oxidation

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are easily prepared from zinc solid using an electrochemical technique. A quick anodic oxidation under constant voltage of a zinc foil in an aqueous potassium chloride electrolyte leads to the fabrication of ZnO nanoparticles in a single-step process at room temperature and without the use of controversial chemical reagents. The crystallographic structure of the fabricated nanoparticles is characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used to reveal the morphology and aggregate size of the nanopowder. The energy dispersive spectra obtained from the SEM-EDS confirm that the sample prepared is in the ZnO phase. The photocatalytic property of the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles is evaluated in studying the degradation of the Acid orange 7 (AO7) organic dye in the presence of the ZnO nanoparticles as a catalyst under UV-visible irradiation.