Dear Researchers,
I am preparing ZnO pellets for laser ablation experiments. My starting material is commercial ZnO powder.
* Is it generally necessary to grind the ZnO powder before pressing it into a pellet for laser ablation?
* If grinding is recommended, is using a standard laboratory mortar and pestle (e.g., agate) an appropriate method for this purpose?
* Are there any specific tips or precautions I should take during the grinding and pellet preparation process to ensure a dense and homogeneous target suitable for laser ablation?
Any advice or shared experiences would be highly appreciated.
Thank you!
1. Yes, grinding ZnO powder into fine powder needed increase surface area which will help to improve better densification during the sintering process.
2. After grinding, make pellets using fine powders with addition of PVA solution (that is, the solution is made of 1% PVA in distilled water) as a finder.
3. Calcine the ZnO pellets at 300 oC for 3 hours to evaporate PVA.
4. Finally, Carry out sintering of ZnO pellets at 1200-1400 oC for 24 hours.
5. Record XRD pattern of the sintered ZnO pellets to check their crystalline nature.
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