Selective growth of vertical ZnO nanowire arrays using chemically anchored gold nanoparticles

A selective growth method for ZnO vertical nanowire arrays is demonstrated using self-assembled gold nanoparticles as the growth catalyst. Gold nanoparticles functionalized with bifunctional (thiol-phosphonic acid) ligands assemble rapidly and selectively onto a patterned ZnO seed layer. Vertical ZnO nanowire arrays are grown by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) deposition method from the ZnO seed layer through the catalytic effect of the bound gold nanoparticles. This synthesis method offers a number of advantages for producing ZnO nanowires because it permits selective placement through directed self-assembly of gold nanoparticles, enables rapid growth, eliminates vacuum deposition processing, and minimizes the amount of gold waste when compared to traditional methods that require vapor deposition of gold films.