In food application, nano-zinc oxide (nano-ZnO) is a very important nano metal material; thus, it is necessary to prepare potentially food-grade nano-ZnO. Nano-ZnO synthesized by the ultrasound-assisted method can reach a safe level because of its import physical processing characteristics. Firstly, the micromorphology and microstructure of nano-ZnO synthesized by the ultrasonic method were compared with that by the mechanical stirring method through atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared. Secondly, the on-line monitoring of different ultrasonic fields in real-time was studied during the whole synthesis process of nano-ZnO by polyvinylidene fluoride sensor, and two control groups (water medium) were set. The results showed that nano-ZnO obtained by the ultrasonic method were smaller in size and had less surface roughness compared with the mechanical stirring method. The nucleation and crystallization process of nano-ZnO was controlled by the ultrasonic method with sharp diffraction peaks of higher intensities. Moreover, for the ultrasonic mechanism, it was found that the oscillation behavior of bubbles varied from liquid to liquid, and variation was also found in the same liquid under different restraint of interfaces. Based on voltage waveforms monitored in the three liquid media, differences in the life cycle of cavitation bubble oscillation, cycle of collapse stage, maximum voltage amplitude, and acoustic intensity were observed. The physical mechanism of ultrasound-assisted synthesis of nano-ZnO was revealed through voltage fluctuations of the acoustics signal, which can lay a theoretical foundation for the controllability of food ultrasonic physical processing.
Keywords: characterization; nano-zinc oxide; ultrasonic cavitation; ultrasonic mechanism.