Growth of "waist" ZnO twin rods through hydrothermal synthesis

The factors that govern the deposition and structure of "waist" ZnO twin rods from aqueous solution through hydrothermal synthesis were discussed in details. Pencil-like ZnO hexagonal twin rods were obtained in Zn(2+) + HMTA system on ITO glass substrates with ZnO buffer layer deposited in advance. As a contrast, a series of experiments were preceded with TBAB or on bare Cu sheet, Zn sheet, and Al sheet to research lattice-match influences on ZnO nucleation. A series of "waist" ZnO hexagonal twin rods were synthesized and the morphology of each "waist" was shown. The forming of different waists results from the different lattice-match effects between substrates and ZnO crystal. We demonstrated ZnO hexagonal twin rods synthesis on Cu, Al, Zn sheet by normal hydrothermal synthesis and revealed different forming schemes of these varying "waists" of the twin structures. On the basis of our research, not only some new ways of synthesizing ZnO twin rods were proposed but a new idea of applying metal to nano-devices used in piezoelectric area.