Controlled microwave-assisted synthesis of ZnO nanopowder and its catalytic activity for O-acylation of alcohol and phenol

ZnO nanopowder has been successfully synthesized by a microwave-assisted solution approach using Zn(CH3CO2)2·2H2O and NaOH. The results obtained from X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transition electron microscope (TEM) show that the mean particle size is 30 nm. SEM and TEM micrographs of ZnO nanopowder also reveal that nanoparticles have spherical shape. Catalytic activity of ZnO nanopowder for O-acylation of alcohol and phenol has been investigated. The results show that the reaction time by using ZnO nanopowder has been reduced by almost 24 times with higher yield than ZnO bulk.