Issue 24, 2012
From the journal:

CrystEngComm

Formation mechanism of hollow microspheres consisting of ZnO nanosheets†

Yanjun Fang,a   Zhenbo Xia,a   Fengjiao Yu,b   Jian Sha,a   Yewu Wang*a  and  Wuzong Zhou*b  

* Corresponding authors

a Department of Physics & State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, P. R. China
E-mail: yewuwang@zju.edu.cn

b EaStChem, School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, United Kingdom
E-mail: wzhou@st-andrews.ac.uk

Abstract

Hydrangea-like hollow microspherical ZnO has been synthesized via a transformation from layered basic zinc acetate (LBZA) and characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Investigation of the early stages of the crystal growth revealed a non-classic growth mechanism. With increasing reaction time, (1) amorphous spherical aggregates formed initially, followed by (2) surface multiple nucleation, (3) crystallization into LBZA nanosheets which are vertical to the microspheres' surface, (4) surface condensation leading to the formation of hollow microspheres, (5) extension of the crystallization both inwards and outwards, and (6) transformation to zinc oxide during annealing in air. The detailed formation mechanism of the hydrangea-like microspheres, consisting of thin (∼5.4 nm) LBZA nanosheets, is proposed. The hydrangea-like ZnO exhibited superior photocatalytic performance in dye degradation due to its unique construction and high specific surface area. This work may shed light on crystal engineering of porous microspheres, hollow crystals and thin nanosheets of other materials.

Graphical abstract: Formation mechanism of hollow microspheres consisting of ZnO nanosheets

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C2CE26354H
Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 Aug 2012
Accepted
09 Oct 2012
First published
11 Oct 2012

CrystEngComm, 2012,14, 8615-8619

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Formation mechanism of hollow microspheres consisting of ZnO nanosheets

Y. Fang, Z. Xia, F. Yu, J. Sha, Y. Wang and W. Zhou, CrystEngComm, 2012, 14, 8615 DOI: 10.1039/C2CE26354H

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