Gauging Structural Aspects of ZnO nano-Crystal Growth ThroughX-ray Diffraction Studies and PAC

The structural characterization of sol-gel based nano crystalline ZnO material is being reported as we observe several previously unreported structural aspects following a sequence of annealing stages. As-grown samples were characterised by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Chemical purity of the nano-grains and their crystallinity has been monitored by energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX) analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), while the unusual changes in nano-crystal growth structure have been studied by X-ray diffraction method. In addition, such samples have been studied by using perturbed angular correlation (PAC) technique with the short-lived radioactive probe 111mCd. Changes in the local electronic environment following sintering of the nano-crystalline grains have been observed by this method.