Chemical vapor synthesis and characterization of undoped, doped and functionalized ZnO nanoparticles

The increasing interest in zinc oxide nanoparticles demands a synthesis method with high production rate, high yield and high crystallinity of the material. Chemical Vapor Synthesis is a method which fulfills all these criteria. A modified Chemical Vapor Synthesis setup is presented to optimize the yield of zinc oxide nanoparticles at higher synthesis temperatures. In order to prepare colloidal zinc oxide nanoparticles, a novel synthesis setup – Chemical Vapor Functionalization – is presented. Nonequilibrium condition of Chemical Vapor Synthesis is utilized to dope aluminum and nitrogen in zinc oxide nanoparticles. The stability of zinc oxide nanoparticles, in powder form and at room temperature, is studied systematically as a function of water vapor pressure.