Single Crystal Kinked ZnO [001] and [110] Nanowires: Synthesis, Characterization, and Growth/Kinking Mechanism

• Published in: Crystal growth & design Vol. 12; no. 6; pp. 3153 - 3157
• Main Authors: Bao, Peite, Zheng, Rongkun, Du, Sichao, Li, Li, Yeoh, Wai Kong, Cui, Xiangyuan, Ringer, Simon P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington,DC American Chemical Society 06.06.2012
• Subjects: Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Equations of state, phase equilibria, and phase transitions; Exact sciences and technology; General studies of phase transitions; Materials science; Methods of crystal growth; physics of crystal growth; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nucleation; Other topics in nanoscale materials and structures; Physics; Quantum wires; Theory and models of crystal growth; physics of crystal growth, crystal morphology and orientation; Monocrystals; Nucleation; Morphology; Optical properties; Growth mechanism; Photoluminescence; Zinc oxide; Nanowires; Electron microscopy; Microstructure; Nanostructured materials
• ISSN: 1528-7483; 1528-7505
• DOI: 10.1021/cg300328c

We report the fabrication of single crystal kinked ZnO [001] and [100] nanowires (NWs). From the detailed morphology and microstructure analyzed by transmission electron microscopy, we discuss the growth characteristics, including nucleation and kinking, from a growth process point of view. We have discovered that the crystallographic property of the substrate surface played a critical role in determining the growth directions, which in turn determine the characteristics of single crystal kinking. A mechanism based on the unbalanced facet growth was proposed to explain the kinking of the single crystal kinked nanowires. Photoluminescence spectra confirm that the optical property of the ZnO NWs was not altered by the single crystal kinking.