ZnO nanostructures synthesized by vapour transport and wet solution techniques: growth and properties

MARIN, OSCAR; REAL, SILVINA; VEGA, NADIA; TIRADO, MONICA; COMEDI, DAVID

Science Reviews ? from the end of the world

Centro Redes y AAPC

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2020 vol. 1

2683-9288

In this Review, a concise description of work devoted in recent years towards the effective control of the morphology, structure and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures, with particular focus on ZnO nanowires (NWs), is given. Special attention is put on cost effective and simple methods for ZnO NW fabrication. Mechanisms of vapour precursor generation and transport in or by inert and forming gas, as well as reactions of these precursors on different pre-treated substrates yielding to different growth mechanisms, are described in detail for the vapour transport deposition technique. As for low temperature synthesis methods, three techniques are delineated: sol-gel, solvothermal and electrophoretic deposition, with emphasis on effective morphology, structure and optical properties control. In this respect, recent endeavours to understand the role of solvent and alkaline agent types used during solvothermal synthesis of ZnO nanostructures on morphology and photoluminescence are expounded and critically discussed. Recent success of electrophoretic deposition of ZnO nanoparticles on pre-patterned silicon substrates in the form of NWs and NW bunches is highlighted over many previous attempts to fabricate ZnO NWs with inconvenient sacrificial templates. Finally, a critical discussion on current understanding of passivation mechanisms of ZnO NW surfaces by MgO shells is presented and contrasted to previously proposed models.