Morphological characterization of sphere-like structured ZnO-NiO nanocomposites with annealing temperatures

摘要

Three-dimensional (3D) sphere-like structured zinc oxide (ZnO) - nickel oxide (NiO) nanocomposites were prepared via a simple one-pot solution process. Their morphological properties were investigated as a function of the annealing temperature in the range 300-700 degrees C. Metal hydroxides (Zn(OH)(2) and Ni(OH)(2)) were completely decomposed to metal oxides (ZnO and NiO), respectively, after annealing at 500 degrees C. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images revealed that the sphere-like structures maintained their shapes during the annealing treatment. The interwoven nanowalls that constituted sphere-like structures were themselves a sheet-like assembly of nanoparticles, which increased in size with increase in annealing temperature. After annealing at 700 degrees C, a network of interconnected nanoparticles could be observed.