Sputtering fabrication of large scale ZnO nanobowl arrays using colloidal crystal templates

Ordered ZnO nanobowl arrays over cm2 areas were prepared by magnetron sputtering using the self-assembled polystyrene spheres arrays as templates. The process started with self-assembled sedimentation of there-dimensional (3D) hexagonal polystyrene sphere arrays. By depositing ZnO within the interstitials of 3D polystyrene colloidal crystal templates using magnetron sputtering, large-area ordered ZnO nanobowl sheets were prepared after removing the spheres by annealing. The whole nanobowl sheet could be lifted off, leaving accidentally observed inverse opal structures. The sizes of the nanobowls could be controlled by the size of the polystyrene spheres, the height of nanobowl sheets could be altered by changing sputtering parameters.