Surface Polarity Determination of ZnO Spherical Particles Synthesized via Solvothermal Route

Abstract

ZnO monodispersed microspheres exhibiting only a c (+)-plane on the surface were successfully synthesized by a novel soft-chemical solvothermal method with ethylene glycol (EG) and hexamethylenetetramine. The concentration of EG plays a critical role in the formation of these spherical particles. The spherical particles are dense and have hierarchical structure, where small crystallites are radially aligned along the c -axis. The polarity was determined using convergent-beam electron diffraction, and we established that the whole surface of the microspheres is a c (+)-plane.