Synthesis of shuttle-like ZnO nanostructures from precursor ZnS nanoparticles

Precursor ZnS nanoparticles, synthesized from the precipitation reaction of zinc acetate and sodium sulfide, were annealed at 700??C for the fabrication of shuttle-like ZnO nanoparticles. The structural characteristics, morphology, and chemical compositions of the as-prepared ZnO nanoparticles were investigated by x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was revealed that the shuttle-like ZnO nanoparticles are pure and single crystalline, with lengths of up to 500?nm, stem diameters of 30?80?nm, and tip diameters of only a few nanometres. In addition, a possible growth mechanism for the obtained shuttle-like nanostructures is also discussed.