Effect of drying temperature and drying time on the crystallinity degree of Zn(II)-tartrate complex

This study examines the impact of drying temperature and drying time on the degree of crystallinity of the Zn(II)-tartrate complex. Crystallinity degree is one of many important factors in material science which may alter the properties and applications of transition metal complexes. The Zn(II)-tartrate was synthesized using a direct mixing solution method at room temperature. Drying temperature and drying time were varied at 80 ​°C, 100 ​°C, and 120 ​°C for 1 and 2 ​h, respectively. The obtained white solid of Zn(II)-tartrate was characterized by FTIR and powder-XRD. Analysis by FTIR and powder XRD confirms that Zn(II)-tartrate was successfully synthesized and has considerably good crystallinity degree. The crystallinity of Zn(II)-tartrate is influenced by the temperatures and drying times. The higher the temperature and the longer the drying time, the higher the degree of crystallinity of Zn(II)-tartrates obtained. The crystallinity degrees and crystallite size of the Zn(II)-tartrates obtained in this work were around 74–75% and 16 ​nm, respectively. Further analysis of the selected sample by DTA-TGA analysis shows that the complex has a good thermal stability up to 300 ​°C. Moreover, the DRS spectrum shows that Zn(II)-tartrate absorbs UV light at 200–236 ​nm with a direct bandgap energy of 5.54 ​eV, which is slightly higher than the KNa-tartrate precursor.