Simplifying patterning process of ZnO nanowires by one step development and etching process

We present herein a simple protocol of growing a patterned ZnO nanowire by etching of ZnO seed layer in the tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution. The ZnO seed layer was fabricated by sol–gel method using zinc acetate solution and patterned by using photolithographic method. Patterned ZnO seed layer as etched in the TMAH solution, followed by growth of ZnO nanowires by hydrothermal method. Remarkable point of present ZnO seed layer patterning is that development of UV-exposed photoresist and etching of ZnO seed layer is subsequently processed in aqueous TMAH solution without interruption. The grown ZnO nanowires were analyzed using XRD patterns to exhibit high purity and degree of crystallinity, and showed very good pattern fidelity.     

Solution-grown zinc oxide nanowires

We review two strategies for growing ZnO nanowires from zinc salts in aqueous and organic solvents. Wire arrays with diameters in the nanoscale regime can be grown in an aqueous solution of zinc nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine. With the addition of poly(ethylenimine), the lengths of the wires have been increased to 25 mum with aspect ratios over 125. Additionally, these arrays were made vertical by nucleating the wires from oriented ZnO nanocrystals. ZnO nanowire bundles have been produced by decomposing zinc acetate in trioctylamine. By the addition of a metal salt to the solution, the ZnO wires can be doped with a range of transition metals. Specifically, ZnO nanowires were homogeneously doped with cobalt and showed a marked deviation from paramagnetic behavior. We conclude by highlighting the use of these solution-grown nanowire arrays in dye-sensitized solar cells. The nanowire cells showed an improvement in the charge collection efficiency over traditional nanoparticle cells.     

Synthesis and Characterization of ZnO Nanowires

Zinc oxide is a wide bandgap (3.37 eV) semiconductor with a hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. ZnO prepared in nanowire form may be used as a nanosized ultraviolet light-emitting source. In this study, ZnO nanowires were prepared by vapor-phase transport of Zn vapor onto gold-coated silicon substrates in a tube furnace heated to 900 ?C. Gold serves as a catalyst to capture Zn vapor during nanowire growth. Size control of ZnO nanowires has been achieved by varying the gold film thickness…     

Length‐Dependent Charge Generation from Vertical Arrays of High‐Aspect‐Ratio ZnO Nanowires

Aqueous chemical growth of zinc oxide nanowires is a flexible and effective approach to obtain dense arrays of vertically oriented nanostructures with high aspect ratio. Herein we present a systematic study of the different synthesis parameters that influence the ZnO seed layer and thus the resulting morphological features of the free‐standing vertically oriented ZnO nanowires. We obtained a homogeneous coverage of transparent conductive substrates with high‐aspect‐ratio nanowire arrays (length/diameter ratio of up to 52). Such nanostructured vertical arrays were examined to assess their electric and piezoelectric properties, and showed an electric charge generation upon mechanical compressive stress. The principle of energy harvesting with these nanostructured ZnO arrays was demonstrated by connecting them to an electronic charge amplifier and storing the generated charge in a series of capacitors. We found that the generated charge and the electrical behavior of the ZnO nanowires are strictly dependent on the nanowire length. We have shown the importance of controlling the morphological properties of such ZnO nanostructures for optimizing a nanogenerator device.     

ZnO纳米线阵列的电沉积法制备及表征(英文)

利用直流电沉积方法在多孔氧化铝模板的孔洞中生成锌纳米线,在氧气氛围中,于800°C下氧化2h,将氧化铝中的锌氧化成氧化锌.本研究利用氧气氛围进行锌的氧化,大大提高了传统方法的氧化锌纳米线的制备效率.用场发射扫描电子显微镜(FE-SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和X射线衍射仪(XRD)对其形貌及成分进行表征和分析,结果表明,氧化铝模板的有序孔洞中填充了大尺寸、均匀连续的多晶态氧化锌纳米线.纳米线具有约1000:1的高纵横比,其长度等于氧化铝模板的厚度,直径约为80nm.光致发光(PL)光谱表明,氧化锌纳米线在504nm处有由于氧空位引起的较强蓝绿光发射.这为进一步研究ZnO/AAO组装体发学性质和开发新型功能器件提供了基础.     

三维分级结构ZnO的制备及光催化性能

以聚乙烯醇/醋酸锌复合纳米纤维为模板, 采用模板辅助共沉积技术制备了三维尖晶石型ZnO纳米线/纳米纤维分级结构, 并采用SEM, XRD对其形貌和晶型结构进行了表征. 在光催化降解乙醛性能实验中, 三维分级结构ZnO表现出比纳米粒子和纤维更好的光催化性能. 这主要归因于ZnO纳米线的次级结构和开放的三维网络结构更有利于乙醛分子和氧分子的扩散和传输, 从而提高了乙醛的光降解速率.     

Micropatterning of ZnO nanoarrays by forced hydrolysis of anhydrous zinc acetate

Micropatterns of ZnO nanoarrays were simply and successfully fabricated in an aqueous solution without any high-temperature treatment and/or expensive catalyst. In situ forced hydrolysis of patterned anhydrous zinc acetate, derived by ultraviolet irradiation with a photomask, resulted in heterogeneous nucleation and growth to form ZnO nanoarrays. Micropatterns of ZnO nanoarrays were characterized by FE-SEM and XRD. ZnO nanoarrays were well site-selectively deposited on anhydrous zinc acetate coated regions at 88 degrees C. HR-TEM clarified the formation mechanism in which anhydrous zinc acetate showed a tendency of forced hydrolyzation to ZnO nanocrystals at the initial stage in the reaction solution.     

Catalyst-free selective-area growth of vertically aligned zinc oxide nanowires

An effective method for the catalyst-free selective-area growth of single-crystalline zinc oxide nanowires on patterned substrates defined by e-beam lithography and treated by chemical etching with increased surface roughness is reported. The nanowire growth is realized via a surface-roughness-assisted vapor–solid mechanism by thermal evaporation. The nanowires are vertically aligned on sapphire and randomly oriented on silicon substrates.     

Controlled growth of well-aligned ZnO nanorod array using a novel solution method

A simple method of synthesizing nanomaterials and the ability to control the size and position of them are crucial for fabricating nanodevices. In this work, we developed a novel ammonia aqueous solution method for growing well-aligned ZnO nanorod arrays on a silicon substrate. For ZnO nanorod growth, a thin zinc metal seed layer was deposited on a silicon substrate by thermal evaporation. Uniform ZnO nanorods were grown on the zinc-coated silicon substrate in aqueous solution containing zinc nitrate and ammonia water. The growth temperature was as low as 60-90 degrees C and a 4-in. wafer size scale up was possible. The morphology of a zinc metal seed layer, pH, growth temperature, and concentration of zinc salt in aqueous solution were important parameters to determine growth characteristics such as average diameters and lengths of ZnO nanorods. We could demonstrate the discrete controlled growth of ZnO nanorods using sequential, tailored growth steps. By combining our novel solution method and general photolithography, we selectively grew ZnO nanorod arrays on a patterned silicon substrate. Our concepts on controlled ZnO nanorod growth using a simple solution method would be applicable for various nanodevice fabrications.     

High surface-to-volume ratio ZnO microberets: low temperature synthesis, characterization, and photoluminescence

Novel hollow ZnO microstructures and ZnO microberets (ZMBs) with nanowires grown vertically on both the inner and outer surfaces of beret shells were synthesized on Si(100) substrates by simple thermal evaporation of pure zinc powder without any catalyst or template material at a relative low temperature of 490 degrees C. XRD, SAED, and HRTEM patterns show that the nanowires and shells of ZMBs are single-crystalline wurtzite structures. The growth mechanism of ZMBs is discussed in detail. The formation of these hollow microstructures depends on the optimum starting time of air introduction. It is a good way to grow well-aligned nanowires by using a nanoscale rough ZnO surface to realize a "self-catalyzed" vapor-liquid-solid process. The photoluminescence spectrum reveals a strong green emission related to the high surface-to-volume ratio of ZMBs. These types of special hollow high surface area structural ZMBs may find potential applications in functional architectural composite materials, solar cell photoanodes, and nanooptoelectronic devices.     

Tailoring Zinc Oxide Nanowires for High Performance Amperometric Glucose Sensor

ZnO nanowire was tailored both physically and chemically to immobilize the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOD) for construction of a glucose sensor with high performance, which was ascribed to its high specific surface area and high isoelectric point value for efficient immobilization of high concentration of acidic enzymes and the mediating effect by the redox reaction of ZnO nanowires. The apparent Michaelis constants J_max, and K_M were adjusted in a large scope by tailoring the thickness of the GOD/ZnO nanowire layer and the enzyme load in the nanowired network. Thus, a variety of linear region, sensitivities and reaction rates of the sensor could be easily achieved. Moreover, the glucose sensor showed long term stability with the incorporation of the inorganic zinc oxide nanowire.     

Enhanced nucleation, growth rate, and dopant incorporation in ZnO nanowires

Pure and Co-doped ZnO nanowire arrays were grown on polished silicon substrates with high rates via an electrochemical technique. A negative potential applied to the substrate not only enhances the nucleation density on polished substrates more than 4 orders of magnitude but also increases the growth rate by 35 times over that obtained in the absence of the potential. Furthermore, incorporation of metallic dopants in ZnO nanowires was demonstrated in the low-temperature process. This fast growth technique provides a route to fabrication of low-cost highly oriented ZnO nanowires on polished substrate for industrial applications.     

Patterned growth of vertically aligned ZnO nanowire arrays on inorganic substrates at low temperature without catalyst

We report an approach for growing aligned ZnO nanowire arrays with a high degree control over size, orientation, dimensionality, uniformity, and possibly shape. Our method combines e-beam lithography and a low temperature hydrothermal method to achieve patterned and aligned growth of ZnO NWs at <100degreesC on general inorganic substrates, such as Si and GaN, without using catalyst. This approach opens up the possibility of applying ZnO nanowires as sensor arrays, piezoelectric antenna arrays, two-dimensional photonic crystals, IC interconnects, and nanogenerators.     

In situ forced hydrolysis-assisted fabrication and photo-induced electrical property in sensor of ZnO nanoarrays

ZnO nanowhiskers are successfully fabricated on an anhydrous zinc acetate coated substrate by its in situ forced hydrolysis at the initial stage without pre-existing ZnO seeds or catalyst. HR-TEM clarified the formation mechanism that in situ forced hydrolysis of an anhydrous zinc acetate layer to ZnO nanocrystals at the initial stage promoted growth of ZnO nanowhiskers by heterogeneous nucleation and growth. ZnO nanowhiskers films show high transmittance over 80% in the visible range and bandgap energy of 3.29 eV. Porous semiconductor ZnO films show good photo-induced electrical properties after various concentrations of DNA molecules labeled with photoactive dye molecules were adsorbed. In situ forced hydrolysis-assisted technique at low temperature can be useful for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices with low cost and without using expensive catalyst.     

Collision of a long DNA molecule with an isolated nanowire

We provide an experimental test of the universal behavior arising in simulations of the electrophoretic collision of a long DNA molecule with an isolated, thin post. Our experiments take advantage of a robust protocol to embed matrices of circa 100 nm radius ZnO nanowires in a microfluidic channel. The density and height of the nanowires are easily controlled by the seeding and growth conditions. Single-molecule videomicroscopy of λ-DNA electrophoresis in a sparse nanowire array shows that the average holdup time decays exponentially with the impact parameter, in agreement with simulations. Only at the largest electric field studied here does the hooking probability approach that for an infinitesimally thin post.     

Controlled growth of semiconducting oxides hierarchical nanostructures

Semiconducting ZnO hierarchical nanostructure, where ZnO nanonails were grown on ZnO nanowires, has been fabricated under control experiment with a mixture of ZnO nanopowders and Sn metal powders. Sn nanoparticles are located at or close to the tips of the nanowires and the growth branches, serving as the catalyst for the vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism. The morphology and microstructure of ZnO nanowire and nanonail were measured by scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The long and straight ZnO nanowires grow along [0001] direction. ZnO nanonails are aligned radially with respect to the surface the ZnO nanowire. The long axis direction of nanonails forms an angle of ∼30° to the [0001] direction.     

Nanowires as building blocks for self-assembling logic and memory circuits

The concept of assembling electronic circuits from metal nanowires is discussed. These nanowires are synthesised electrochemically by using porous membranes as templates. High aspect ratio wires, which range from 15 to 350 nm in diameter and contain "stripes" of different metals, semiconductors, colloid/polymer multilayers, and self-assembling monolayers have been made by this technique. By using the distinct surface chemistry of different stripes, the nanowires can be selectively derivatized and positioned on patterned surfaces. This allows the current-voltage properties of single and crossed nanowire devices to be measured. Nanowire conductors, rectifiers, switches, and photoconductors have been characterized. Techniques are still being developed for assembling sublithographic scale nanowires into cross-point arrays for memory and logic applications.     

Fabrication of hierarchical ZnO architectures and their superhydrophobic surfaces with strong adhesive force

Grid-structured ZnO microsphere arrays assembled by uniform ZnO nanorods were fabricated by noncatalytic chemical vapor deposition, taking advantage of morphologies of alumina nanowire pyramid substrates and ZnO oriented growth habits. Every ZnO microsphere (similar to the micropapilla on a lotus leaf surface) is assembled by over 200 various oriented ZnO nanorods (similar to the hairlike nanostructures on mircopapilla of a lotus leaf). This lotus-leaf-like ZnO micro-nanostructure films reveal superhydrophobicity and ultrastrong adhesive force to liquid. The realization of this hierarchical ZnO nanostructure film could be important for further understanding wettability of biological surfaces with micro-nanostructure and application in microfluidic devices.     

Synthesis of nickel nanowires via electroless nanowire deposition on micropatterned substrates

Electroless nanowire deposition on micropatterned substrates (ENDOM) is a promising new technique by which to direct the synthesis and precise placement of metallic nanowires. ENDOM is generally applicable to the preparation of metallic, semiconducting, and even insulating nanowires on technologically relevant substrates, is inexpensive, and can achieve high growth rates. The deposited nanowires are ultralong (centimeters) and can be patterned in arbitrary shapes. We demonstrate ENDOM using the growth of nickel nanowires. By controlling the deposition time, the width of the nanowires can be varied from 200 to 1000 nm and the height can be varied from 7 to 20 nm.     

Large-scale controllable patterning growth of aligned organic nanowires through evaporation-induced self-assembly

Organic one-dimensional nanostructures are attractive building blocks for electronic, optoelectronic, and photonic applications. Achieving aligned organic nanowire arrays that can be patterned on a surface with well-controlled spatial arrangement is highly desirable in the fabrication of high-performance organic devices. We demonstrate a facile one-step method for large-scale controllable patterning growth of ordered single-crystal C(60) nanowires through evaporation-induced self-assembly. The patterning geometry of the nanowire arrays can be tuned by the shape of the covering hats of the confined curve-on-flat geometry. The formation of the pattern arrays is driven by a simple solvent evaporation process, which is controlled by the surface tension of the substrate (glass or Si) and geometry of the evaporation surface. By sandwiching a solvent pool between the substrate and a covering hat, the evaporation surface is confined to along the edge of the solvent pool. The geometry of the formed nanowire pattern is well defined by a surface-tension model of the evaporation channel. This simple method is further established as a general approach that is applicable to two other organic nanostructure systems. The I-V characteristics of such a parallel, organic, nanowire-array device was measured. The results demonstrate that the proposed method for direct growth of nanomaterials on a substrate is a feasible approach to device fabrication, especially to the fabrication of the parallel arrays of devices.