Effect of Polyvinylpyrrolidone on the Structural and Morphological Properties of ZnO Nanoparticles

In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a capping and stabilizing agent. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to investigate the structural and morphological properties. The XRD results confirmed the formation of the typical hexagonal wurtzite structure in all samples, with average crystallite sizes of 23, 24, and 27 nm for the as-prepared ZnO, PVP-ZnO-cal, and ZnO-cal, respectively. These results indicate that the PVP-assisted sample effectively limits crystal growth. SEM images revealed that the as-prepared ZnO NPs are irregular and agglomerated, while the calcinated samples display more defined morphologies with average particle sizes of 37, 50, and 65 nm for the as-prepared ZnO, PVP-ZnO-cal, and ZnO-cal, respectively. Both XRD and SEM show the same trend where PVP-ZnO-cal has smaller sizes than ZnO-cal, confirming PVP’s role in limiting growth and agglomeration. EDS confirmed the purity of Zn and O elements in all samples. These findings demonstrate the important role of PVP in controlling and modifying the growth of ZnO nanoparticles.