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Hydrothermal zinc oxide nanowire growth with different zinc salts

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Abstract

The effect of the use of different zinc salts as zinc sources during hydrothermal growth of zinc oxide nanowires was systematically investigated. Change in the temperature, pH, and transmittance of the growth solutions prepared with three different zinc salts was monitored and used to provide a broad explanation to the effect of the salt. In addition to conventional heating process, microwave heating of the growth solutions was also performed, and differences in the ZnO nanowires synthesized through both heating methods were examined. It was found that ionization of zinc in growth solutions is influencing the formation of ZnO nanowires leading to growth with different aspect ratios, and zinc acetate dihydrate salt allows the synthesis of nanowires with the highest aspect ratio.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) under Grant Nos. 109M084 and 109M487 and the Distinguished Young Scientist Award of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Micro and Nanotechnology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 06800, Turkey

    Mehmet Can Akgun & Husnu Emrah Unalan

  2. Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 06800, Turkey

    Aysegul Afal & Husnu Emrah Unalan

  3. Center for Solar Energy Research and Applications, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 06800, Turkey

    Husnu Emrah Unalan

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  1. Mehmet Can Akgun
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Correspondence to Husnu Emrah Unalan.

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Akgun, M.C., Afal, A. & Unalan, H.E. Hydrothermal zinc oxide nanowire growth with different zinc salts. Journal of Materials Research 27, 2401–2407 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2012.258

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2012.258

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