Investigation into the initial growth parameters of hydrothermally grown zinc oxide nanowires

Zinc oxide nanowires have been synthesized hydrothermally using varying initial growth parameters, namely concentrations of precursors and temperature. SEM was then used to characterize the shape and size of the nanowires. PL was also implemented to examine the effects of altering the growth conditions on the defect band of the zinc oxide nanowires. It was found that growing zinc oxide nanowires using higher concentrations of zinc nitrate synthesized nanowires with larger diameters and that they were more tapered. Growing at higher temperatures resulted in nanowires that were longer but also had a larger defect band. Synthesis does not occur when the growth solution is lower than 55 °C.