Synthesis of ZnO Particles via Simple Evaporation and Oxidation

In the present research, ZnO was synthesized from Zn pellets by evaporation in a horizontal tubular furnace un-der controlled atmospheric conditions. This technique involves a combination of vapor-phase transport and oxidation in an oxygenrich atmosphere, with nitrogen gas used as a carrier. It was determined that a temperature of 950°C facilitates the evaporation of Zn and its subsequent nucleation into ZnO without considering any doping. Experimental conditions were adjusted to evaluate the influence of the N₂: O₂ ratio (r anging from 3:1 to 1.2:1) based on the morphology of the resulting samples. The synthesis was carried out under both static and dynamic conditions, analyzing depositions in different reactor zones. In advanced stages, silicon substrates were used to study the surface growth of ZnO matrices. The particles were characterized using SEM, TEM, EDS, CL, PL, and X-ray diffraction. The analyses revealed microstructure such as tetrapods, needles, and plates, whose formation correlated with the temperature in each deposition zone and the amount of oxygen in the system. These results support the development of a simple thermodynamic growth model, with particular relevance in predicting domi-nant morphologies under controlled conditions. The presented methodology allows optimization of ZnO synthesis applications, such as in sensors and optoelectronic, where both crystalline structure and purity are important.