A simple approach has been adopted to prepare ZnO nanorods with N-cetyl-N,N,N-trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) assisted hydrothermal route at 200 °C. The presence of CTAB favours the orientation growth of ZnO nanorods. The effect of reaction conditions on the morphology, crystallization and optical properties of the ZnO nanoparticles are investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Powder X-ray diffraction reveals the formation of phase pure ZnO particles with wurtzite structure. The optical absorption spectral study identified the blue shift of the sample in comparison to bulk ZnO. The room temperature PL spectrum confirms the strong UV emission around 330 nm and a weak visible emission at 485 nm. The TEM micrograph shows the presence of ZnO nanorods with diameter around 50 nm for the short ones and 80 nm for the long rods.
