An accelerated and effective synthesis of zinc borate from zinc sulfate using sonochemistry

Abstract Recently, sonochemistry has been used for the synthesis of inorganic compounds, such as zinc borates. In this study using zinc sulphate heptahydrate (ZnSO4·7H2O) and boric acid (H3BO3) as starting materials, a zinc borate compound in the form of Zn3B6O12·3.5H2O was synthesized using an ultrasonic probe. Product’s characterization was carried out with using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy. Zinc borate compound’s chemical bond structure was observed with Raman and FTIR. From the XRD results it was seen that Zn3B6O12·3.5H2O can be quickly synthesized upon heating at 80°C and 85°C (55 min) or 90°C (45 min) in very high yield (>90%). The minimum particle size obtained was ~143 μm from the SEM results. Zinc borate compound was synthesized at a lower temperature in less time than other synthesized zinc metal compound in literature.