An integrated laboratory module was developed between the Chemistry and Physics departments at Pepperdine University. In the experiment, students in an Inorganic Chemistry class synthesized ZnO nanocrystals with different morphologies depending on the growth modifier added. ZnO grows as hexagonal prism crystals for which the morphology can be modified from long rods to wide plates with low concentrations of additives, e.g., glycolate, malate, and citrate. Students prepared ZnO nanocrystals with a hydrothermal method and isolated them with vacuum filtration. The nanocrystals were transferred to a scanning electron microscope stage, and the students collected images of clusters of crystals or single/duo crystals. Students then measured the aspect ratio of their crystals and correlated their morphologies back to growth modifier employed. The experiment will also be used in the Physics curriculum in both a condensed matter course, where the students will analyze the crystal structure of ZnO, and an electricity and magnetism course, where the students will have an opportunity to apply Maxwell’s equations to understand how a scanning electron microscope works.

ZnO nanocrystals imaged with scanning electron microscopy: An interdisciplinary undergraduate laboratory module

255th National Meeting (2018)

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