Facile synthesis of ZnO nanosheets: Structural, antibacterial and photocatalytic studies

Abstract Two dimensional (2D) hexagonal sheet-like Zinc Oxide nanostructures (ZnO NSs) have been synthesized by Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS)-assisted atmospheric microplasma electrochemical technique at room temperature. The synthesized nanostructures were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), UV–Visible spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The viable formation mechanism of sheet-like ZnO NSs has been proposed. XRD pattern confirmed the ZnO NSs of fine crystallinity with hexagonal phase. Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns provides accurate values for the lattice parameters. The sharp UV absorption peak at 363 nm suggested the synthesis of high-quality crystalline ZnO NSs. These NSs also showed significant antibacterial activities against various bacterial strains. In addition, ZnO NSs displayed excellent Photocatalytic activity in the degradation of Rhodamine B (Rhd B) dye in aqueous solution.