ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Tuning morphology: the role of pH in shaping ZnO nanoparticles

Ayesha Masood, Ammara Aftab, Adil Rauf, and Muhammad Waseem

Department of Chemistry, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan

E-mail: waseem_atd@yahoo.com

Received: 26 May 2025  Accepted: 26 October 2025

Abstract:

Morphological modulation, structural, and functional variations of nanoparticles by altering reaction conditions, preparation methods, and precursor materials to produce nano combs, nano rings, nano helixes, nanobelts, nanowires, and nanocages have gained much attention in recent areas. The role of pH in governing the morphological transformations in ZnO nanoparticles represents a critical yet insufficiently explored aspect of research. ZnO is an inorganic compound with excellent chemical, electrical, and thermal stabilities, and has potential for research due to its nano-sized particles, wide bandgap, enhanced specific surface area, and surface reactivity. Surface groups undergo protonation or deprotonation by the change in hydrophilicity of the nanoparticles due to pH change that affects all the properties of NPs. In this review, the effect of pH on the morphological changes, chemical characteristics, and mechanistic insights of ZnO NPs is explored. Additionally, chemical, electrical, biomedical, optoelectronic, and antibacterial properties of ZnO NPs are studied by changing pH. In future, potential applications of pH-controlled morphology of ZnO NPs will be explored in catalysis, electronics, and biomedicine fields.

Keywords: ZnO; Nanoparticles; pH; Morphology; Properties

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04479-6

Chemical Papers 80 (2) 1121–1146 (2026)