Synthesis and properties of novel liquid-medicine-filter shaped ZnO nanostructures

Liquid-medicine-filter shaped ZnO nanostructures have been synthesized on Al2O3-coated Si (111) substrates by chemical vapor deposition method (CVD) at 1050 °C. Every liquid-medicine-filter shaped ZnO nanostructure is made up of one nanorod and two nanowires at the ends. The liquid-medicine-filter shaped ZnO nanostructures are characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) photoluminescence (PL). The results indicate that the liquid-medicine-filter shaped ZnO nanostructures are wurtzite hexagonal structure and the growth direction is [0001]. The liquid-medicine-filter shaped ZnO nanostructures became the new member of ZnO nanostructures for the novel configuration. PL reveals ultraviolet (UV) emission at 384 nm and a broad emission peak at 540 nm. These novel liquid-medicine-filter shaped ZnO nanostructures will provide an improvement for electronic and optical devices. The pre-prepared Al2O3 film on the Si (111) substrate solves the troublesome lattice mismatch problem between the Si substrate and ZnO, and makes the growth of liquid-medicine-filter shaped ZnO nanostructures more effective. In addition, the effect of screw dislocation and polar surfaces in understanding crystal growth mechanisms in nanometer scale were also provided.