An overview of recent work on the low-temperature plasma-assisted synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles is presented and interpreted in terms of gas-phase and surface reactions with illustrated examples. The thermodynamical nonequilibrium conditions allow the formation of chemically reactive species with a potential energy of several eV, which readily interact with the Zn precursors and initiate reactions leading to the formation of nanoparticles or nanowires. The high-quality nanowires were synthesized from Zn powders only upon interaction with moderately ionized plasma in a narrow range of plasma parameters. This technique is promising for the synthesis of large quantities of nanowires with aspect ratios well above 10, but the exact range of parameters remains to be determined. Apart from the ex situ techniques, the ZnO nanoparticles can be synthesized by depositing a film of precursors (often Zn salts or Zn-containing organometallic compounds) and exposing them to oxygen plasma. This technique is useful for the synthesis of well-adherent ZnO nanoparticles on heat-sensitive objects but requires further scientific validation as it often leads to the formation of a semicontinuous ZnO film rather than nanoparticles. Both low-pressure and atmospheric plasmas are useful in converting the precursor film into ZnO nanoparticles despite completely different mechanisms.
Keywords: nanoparticles; plasma; synthesis; zinc oxide.