Synthesis of radial ZnO nanostructures by a simple thermal evaporation method

Radial ZnO nanostructures were prepared on Si(1 1 1) substrate by a simple thermal evaporation method using Zn and zinc acetate dihydrate as the source materials. The nanostructures consist of many straight and uniform nanorods. X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence were used to characterize the structural and optical properties of the obtained nanostructures. The results indicate that the nanorods are high-quality single crystals with few defects. The growth mechanism of the nanostructures is discussed based on the reaction conditions.