Sensors International (Jan 2022)
92 years of zinc oxide: has been studied by the scientific community since the 1930s- An overview
Abstract
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a one-of-a-kind material with semiconducting, piezoelectric, & pyroelectric properties. Before the arrival of the nanotechnology field, zinc oxide was used in bulk, but later it was also employed as a nanosized material for its intended purposes. ZnO in nano-scale materials is currently among the most significant semiconductor oxides. Nanotechnology is a broad field of study that has emerged as a cutting-edge & advanced manufacturing technology worldwide. Nanomaterials have diameters less than 100 nm. So, many materials are used in various applications; one of the common materials, i.e., Zinc oxides, are unique in their physiochemical properties, so they can be called multi-functional nanomaterial. Zinc oxide has been used as a nanomaterial based on its different morphologies such as–nano-particles/rods/wires/flakes/flower/sheets & etc. Zinc oxide plays an essential role in all most every field, from non-electric to the electronic field, diagnosis to therapeutics, textiles to agriculture. The first section of this evaluation includes an introduction, a brief history, properties, and benefits. The following section of this review describes the various fabrication methods of ZnO - indirect, direct, hydrothermal, sol-gel, chemical precipitation, green synthesis methods. Finally, this article presented prospective implementations of ZnO in many fields of industry. This review provides valuable information to specialize in ZnO, covering the research undertaken in the early 1990s until the new use of zinc oxides in 2022.