Fabrication of zinc oxide nanostructures on gold-coated silicon substrate by thermal chemical reactions vapor transport deposition in air

Zinc oxide nanostructures (nanowires, nanobelts, and nanofibers) were fabricated on gold-coated silicon (1 0 0) substrate via a simple thermal chemical reactions vapor transport deposition (TCRVTD) method in air with a mixture of ZnO and carbon powders as reactants. The growth process was carried out at 1100 °C in a quartz tube with one side open to the air. The gold film acted as a metal catalyst. There is no carrier gas in the process. The ZnO nanostructures were characterized by the scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The growth mechanism is explained by thermal chemical reactions and vapor–liquid–solid growth mechanism.