Synthesis of zinc oxide nanoplates and their use for hydrogen sulfide adsorption

We present the synthetic procedure for the formation of zinc oxide nanoplates with 80–200 nm diameters and 10–30 nm thicknesses via a sol–gel method. Due to the nanoplates being thin, they were tested for their ability to adsorb H 2 S, a toxic gas commonly produced as a byproduct in industrial processes. Their sorption capacity was compared against ZnO nanoparticles and prisms. The nanoplates proved to be superior sorbents. Characterization of the ZnO materials before and after sulfurization was carried out with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis (BET), and X-ray dispersive spectrometry (EDX). The sulfurization of ZnO nanoplates, carried out at 400 °C, averaged 32 g S per 100 g sorbent, comparable to current sorbents and reaching 80% of the theoretical maximum capacity. Conversion back to ZnO was achieved by heating the material under air at 600 °C. The nanoplate structure with its large surface area promotes hydrogen sulfide sorption.