Evaluation of the morphologies and formation mechanisms of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles synthesized via the co-precipitation method

One of the crucial parameters to tune the various properties of nanoparticles, such as mechanical, physical, optical, magnetical, electrical, and biological properties is their structure and morphologies. In the present study, zinc oxide (ZnO) and cupric oxide (CuO) nanoparticles were synthesized via the co-precipitation method with the same protocols. The phase structures and morphologies of the prepared nanoparticles were investigated using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The obtained results revealed that no additional phase forms during the synthesis of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles. The evaluation of the phase structure and morphologies of the prepared nanoparticles exhibited that ZnO and CuO nanoparticles were shaped in different morphologies. ZnO and CuO nanoparticles were shaped in the spherical-diamond-like and hierarchical flower-like structures due to their various crystallographic structures and electrostatic interaction mechanism between different anions and polar surfaces. Indeed, these behaviors lead to the formation of different morphologies and structures.