Synthesis of Zinc-Sulfate Nano Particles and Detection of Their Induction Time, Nucleation Rate and Interfacial Tension

The production of zinc sulfate is important both medically and agriculturally. If zinc sulfate is produced without agglomeration at the nanoscale, its absorption in the body is more and faster. In this research, the induction time parameter is assessed for nucleation of zinc sulfate nanoparticles at room temperature and various supersaturations using acetone (as anti-solvent) in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant (SDS). The nucleation mechanism of zinc sulfate nanoparticles altered from primary to secondary by adding SDS surfactant in solution. The morphology of the zinc sulfate nanoparticles was analyzed by a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) tests. The TEM results revealed that the size of the nanoparticles is between 30 and 35 nm in the presence of SDS surfactant. The experimental data proved that the induction time reduces and improves with increasing supersaturation and SDS concentration, respectively. Meanwhile, the nucleation rate increases with the decrease in the interfacial tension of the zinc sulfate particles. The experimental results were also compared with the predictions of classical nucleation theory and the results proved good agreement between them.