Room-temperature preparation of ZnO nanosheets grown on Si substrates by a seed-layer assisted solution route

A facile route to prepare two-dimensional ZnO nanosheet structures on Si substrates was developed through the adoption of a ZnO seed-layer and suitable growth medium in this work. The characterization results showed that ZnO nanosheets could be grown on Si substrates with a pre-formed ZnO seed-layer at room temperature. The ZnO nanosheets, with thickness of 20-25 nm, were interwoven into networks to form a continuous nanosheet film. Room-temperature measurements of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra and water wettability for the resulting ZnO nanosheet structures showed high intensity ratio of the UV emission to the defect emissions and good hydrophilic property without UV illumination. The present work demonstrates that the adoption of a ZnO seed-layer is an effective approach for room-temperature growth of ZnO nanosheets grown on substrates.