221-226<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-bidi-font-family:mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;="" mso-bidi-language:hi"="" lang="EN-GB">Nanostructured ZnO (without stabilizers) has been
synthesized using conventional (non-ultrasound i.e. NUS) as well as
sonochemically assisted (US) synthesis method. Zinc nitrate hexahydrate (Zn(NO3)2.6H2O)
and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) have been used as raw materials (synthesis
precursors). Zinc nitrate hexahydrate reacts with sodium hydroxide at room
temperature (35 ± 2°C) to form ZnO powder. It is found that equilibrium
conversion occurred in a shorter time in sonochemically (US) assisted method
when compared to conventional (NUS) method. The ZnO powders synthesized by both
the methods have shown to have nanometric-sized crystallites. It was found that
the crystallite size of the sonochemically (US) synthesized ZnO and
conventionally (NUS) synthesized ZnO are 23 ± 1 nm and 32 ± 1 nm respectively.
The FTIR spectra analysis confirms the occurrence of the reaction to form Zinc
Oxide by both NUS and US methods. Needle shaped structures agglomerated in the
forms of bundles were also found in SEM micrographs. It was found that
sonochemical synthesis method have
saved more than 90% of energy utilized by conventional synthesis method along
with the reduced in the reaction duration by 110 minutes.</span