Zinc oxide can be called a multifunctional material thanks to its unique physical and chemical properties. The first part of this paper presents the most important methods of preparation of ZnO divided into metallurgical and chemical methods. The mechanochemical process, controlled precipitation, sol-gel method, solvothermal and hydrothermal method, method using emulsion and microemulsion enviroment and other methods of obtaining zinc oxide were classified as chemical methods. In the next part of this review, the modification methods of ZnO were characterized. The modification with organic (carboxylic acid, silanes) and inroganic (metal oxides) compounds, and polymer matrices were mainly described. Finally, we present possible applications in various branches of industry: rubber, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, textile, electronic and electrotechnology, photocatalysis were introduced. This review provides useful information for specialist dealings with zinc oxide.

Zinc Oxide-From Synthesis to Application: A Review.

Using first-principles plane wave calculations, we investigate two dimensional honeycomb structure of Group IV elements and their binary compounds, as well as the compounds of Group III-V elements. Based on structure optimization and phonon mode calculations, we determine that 22 different honeycomb materials are stable and correspond to local minima on the Born-Oppenheimer surface. We also find that all the binary compounds containing one of the first row elements, B, C or N have planar stable structures. On the other hand, in the honeycomb structures of Si, Ge and other binary compounds the alternating atoms of hexagons are buckled, since the stability is maintained by puckering. For those honeycomb materials which were found stable, we calculated optimized structures, cohesive energies, phonon modes, electronic band structures, effective cation and anion charges, and some elastic constants. The band gaps calculated within Density Functional Theory using Local Density Approximation are corrected by GW0 method. Si and Ge in honeycomb structure are semimetal and have linear band crossing at the Fermi level which attributes massless Fermion character to charge carriers as in graphene. However, all binary compounds are found to be semiconductor with band gaps depending on the constituent atoms. We present a method to reveal elastic constants of 2D honeycomb structures from the strain energy and calculate the Poisson’s ratio as well as in-plane stiffness values. Preliminary results show that the nearly lattice matched heterostructures of these compounds can offer new alternatives for nanoscale electronic devices. Similar to those of the three-dimensional Group IV and Group III-V compound semiconductors, one deduces interesting correlations among the calculated properties of present honeycomb structures. PACS numbers: 73.22.-f, 61.48.De, 63.22.-m, 62.23.Kn

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Monolayer honeycomb structures of group-IV elements and III-V binary compounds: First-principles calculations

ZnS nanostructures: From synthesis to applications

Hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanostructures

Carbon (C) is a crucial material for many branches of modern technology. A growing number of demanding applications in electronics and telecommunications rely on the unique properties of C allotropes. The need for microwave absorbers and radar-absorbing materials is ever growing in military applications (reduction of radar signature of aircraft, ships, tanks, and targets) as well as in civilian applications (reduction of electromagnetic interference among components and circuits, reduction of the back-radiation of microstrip radiators). Whatever the application for which the absorber is intended, weight reduction and optimization of the operating bandwidth are two important issues. A composite absorber that uses carbonaceous particles in combination with a polymer matrix offers a large flexibility for design and properties control, as the composite can be tuned and optimized via changes in both the carbonaceous inclusions (C black, C nanotube, C fiber, graphene) and the embedding matrix (rubber, thermoplastic). This paper offers a perspective on the experimental efforts toward the development of microwave absorbers composed of carbonaceous inclusions in a polymer matrix. The absorption properties of such composites can be tailored through changes in geometry, composition, morphology, and volume fraction of the filler particles. Polymercomposites filled with carbonaceous particles provide a versatile system to probe physical properties at the nanoscale of fundamental interest and of relevance to a wide range of potential applications that span radar absorption, electromagnetic protection from natural phenomena (lightning), shielding for particle accelerators in nuclear physics, nuclear electromagnetic pulse protection, electromagnetic compatibility for electronic devices, high-intensity radiated field protection, anechoic chambers, and human exposure mitigation. Carbonaceous particles are also relevant to future applications that require environmentally benign and mechanically flexible materials.

A review and analysis of microwave absorption in polymer composites filled with carbonaceous particles

ZnO nanomaterials with their unique semiconducting and piezoelectric coupled properties have become promising materials for applications in piezotronic devices including nanogenerators, piezoelectric field effect transistors, and diodes. This article will mainly introduce the research progress on piezotronic properties of ZnO nanomaterials investigated by scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and ZnO-based prototype piezotronic nanodevices built in virtue of SPM, including piezoelectric field effect transistors, piezoelectric diodes, and strain sensors. Additionally, nanodamage and nanofailure of ZnO materials and their relevant piezotronic nanodevices will be critically discussed in their safe service in future nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) engineering.

Scanning Probe Study on the Piezotronic Effect in ZnO Nanomaterials and Nanodevices

Three-dimensional ZnO micro/nanorod networks were synthesized through the direct evaporation of metal zinc and graphite powders in Ar and O2 at 910 °C without any catalyst. The micro/nanorod networks of as-synthesized ZnO were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The branches within one network show very regular cross orientation. The nanorods follow a growth direction [0001]. Mircrowave absorption properties of the ZnO netlike structures have been investigated in detail. The reflection loss (RL) of the netlike structures and nanotetrapod-shaped ZnO were calculated by using the relative complex permeability and permittivity. And the value of minimum RL for the composite with 50 vol % ZnO netlike structures is −37 dB at 6.2 GHz with a thickness of 4.0 mm. These results provide a wide insight for the netlike structure ZnO as desirable materials for the fabrication of micro/nanoscale functional electromagnetic shield dev...

Directed Growth and Microwave Absorption Property of Crossed ZnO Netlike Micro-/Nanostructures

Structure and photocatalytic activity of Ni-doped ZnO nanorods

The mechanical properties of individual zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires, grown by a solid–vapour phase thermal sublimation process, were studied in situ by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using a home-made TEM specimen holder. The mechanical resonance is electrically induced by applying an oscillating voltage, and in situ imaging has been achieved simultaneously. The results indicate that the elastic bending modulus of individual ZnO nanowires were measured to be ~58 GPa and the damping time constant of the resonance in a vacuum of 10−8 Torr was ~14 ms. A nanobalance was built and the mass of the nanoparticle attached at the tip of a nanowire was measured. The ZnO nanowires are promising in potential applications as nanocantilevers and nanoresonators.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0953-8984/18/15/L03/pdf

Yunhua Huang

Papers

Scanning Probe Study on the Piezotronic Effect in ZnO Nanomaterials and Nanodevices

Directed Growth and Microwave Absorption Property of Crossed ZnO Netlike Micro-/Nanostructures

Structure and photocatalytic activity of Ni-doped ZnO nanorods

In?situ mechanical properties of individual ZnO nanowires and the mass measurement of nanoparticles

Effect of Nb on the hydrogen-induced cracking of high-strength low-alloy steel