A study on the ultrasonic preparation of nanocrystalline zinc oxide in room temperature ionic liquid and triethylene glycol

A fast and green approach has been developed for the preparation of nanocrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) in room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) via ultrasonic irradiation. For comparison, ZnO nanoparticles have been prepared under the same experimental condition in triethylene glycol (TEG). The results show that ZnO nanorods can be prepared in RTIL, while spherical nanoparticles are obtained in TEG. A possible mechanism is proposed to explain the formation of ZnO nanorods in RTIL via ultrasonic irradiation. Additionally, neodymium ion doped ZnO nanomaterials have been also synthesized in RTIL or TEG with ultrasound. The different structures of lanthanide doped ZnO samples have been studied.