Preparation and characterisation of ZnO nanorod array-coated hollow glass microsphere composites

Uniform and oriented ZnO nanorod arrays on the surface of hollow glass microspheres (HGMs) were fabricated by using a seed growth process in aqueous solution of zinc nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine at low temperature. The structure and morphology of as-obtained ZnO nanorod array-coated hollow glass microsphere (HGM/ZnO) composites were analysed by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that all the HGMs were coated with a well-aligned layer of ZnO nanorod arrays and the ZnO nanorods possessed relatively uniform hexagonal rod structures and stood perpendicular. Moreover, the ZnO nanorod arrays were affected by a variety of growth conditions such as the growth solution concentration and the solution temperature.