Time growing comparison for ZnO nanorod by using microwave irradiation method

In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod were successfully prepared at different growth times (15, 30 and 60 min) using the microwave irradiation method. The ZnO nanorods were simply synthesized at a low temperature (90 degrees C) with low power microwave assisted heating (about 100 W) and a subsequent ageing process. The synthesized nanorod were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The FESEM images showed nanorods with diameter ranging between 50 and 150 nm, and length of 150-550 nm. The XRD results indicate that ZnO nanorods of different time of growth exhibits pure wurtzite structure with lattice parameters of 3.2568 and 5.2125 angstrom. UV-Vis characterization showed that energy gap decreases with increase in time. The result also shows that growth of ZnO at 60 min produces an energy band gap of 3.15 eV. In general, the results of the study confirm that the microwave irradiation method is a promising low temperature, cheap and fast method for the production of ZnO nanostructures.