Fabrication of Volmer-Weber type ZnO nanorods by combining RF sputtering and hydrothermal methods

We fabricated Volmer-Weber type ZnO nanorods by using a hydrothermal method combing with an RF sputtering system. Volmer-Weber type ZnO seed nanocrystals were formed on Pt(111)/TiO2/SiO2/Si(100) substrates by using RF sputtering method and then the seeded substrates were soaked in an aqueous chemical solution, which was mixed with Zn(NO3)2 x 6H2O and NaOH. We found that ZnO nanorods were perpendicularly grown along the [002] direction by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods. We also confirmed that fabricated ZnO nanorods were Volmer-Weber type by using an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) method.