The most prominent or irreplaceable application areas of nano-zinc oxide are catalysts, feed, rubber, antibacterial materials, cosmetics, ceramics, coatings, etc.

(1) application in feed additives

Compared with common zinc oxide, nanometer zinc oxide has many advantages:

A. Strong sterilization. Nano-zinc oxide is an inorganic fungicide. The germicidal mechanism is the result of the combined action of photocatalysis and ion dissolution, that is, using reactive oxygen species produced by nano-zinc oxide to cause microbial damage or zinc ion dissolution to react with protein or nucleic acid functional groups in microorganism.

The results showed that: within 5 minutes, the bactericidal rate of nano-zno on staphylococcus aureus was 98.86% and 99.93% on large intestine, significantly higher than that of common zno (zuyong et al., 1999).

B. high biological utilization. The nanometer zinc oxide particle size small, easy to mix with chyme, opportunity and contact with intestinal villus area increases, so easy to be absorbed by animal use. Studies have shown that mice to 100 nm particles larger than the other, the particle’s absorption rate of 10-250 times (Zhong Guo and Chen, 2005), on nano zinc oxide biology utilization of livestock and poultry, there is no clear reports.

C. good dispersion. Nano-zinc oxide has fine particle size, which ensures good dispersibility in feed.

D. Nano-zinc oxide has unique physical and chemical advantages, with little amount of added in the feed, but it has the same effect as high-zinc diet, so it can replace common zinc oxide.

(2) application of nano-zinc oxide in zno desulfurizer:

In the field of catalyst, the requirement of zinc oxide is very high. Firstly, nanometer active zinc oxide must be selected. At the same time, it must meet the restriction requirements of neutralization conditions, bulk density, specific surface area, impurity content, calcining temperature and other processes. The main domestic manufacturers of zno desulfurizer choose only activated zno produced by acid method, because the activated zno produced by ammonia has more obvious activity and catalysis.

(3) application in rubber:

Nano-zinc oxide can be used for tire, conveyor belt, EVA and other rubber products as the active agent of rubber vulcanization.

Zinc oxide ACTS as a vulcanization accelerator in rubber and actually ACTS as a catalyst. Therefore, when the particles of zno reach nanometer size, their activity and catalysis will be significantly enhanced.

The results show that nano-zinc oxide can improve the tensile strength, tensile elongation, tear strength and thermal oxidation performance of rubber products.

(4) application in textile materials:

Nanometer ZnO powder has excellent function of antibacterial, disinfection and deodorization. After finishing the natural fiber with functional auxiliaries made from nano-zno powder, anti-bacterial fabric with good performance can be obtained. Even if the textile is used in the process, inhibiting the reproduction of microorganisms that take sweat and dirt as nutrient source, preventing the stench released from this, and maintaining the sanitary condition of clothes. The fabrics that are rolled with nano-auxiliaries are mainly used for shirts, t-shirts, hats and casual wear of soft and comfortable textile fabrics. The nano paste can also be used to form a soft functional coating on the surface of the fabric.

(5) application in cosmetics:

Nano-zinc oxide is a widely used physical sunscreen that blocks uv rays by absorbing and scattering them.

(6) application in medicine:

The antimicrobial properties of nano-zinc oxide make cosmetics astringent and anti-inflammatory:

• zinc ions, like silver ions, are heavy metal ions that bind to proteins in viruses and bacteria to mimic their activity.

• the nanometer zinc oxide particle size is small, the surface activity is good, has the sterilization disinfection function.