Controllable Growth of ZnO Microstructures via a Solution Route

Abstract

A facile method has been developed to fabricate ZnO microstructures by a solution route at an 80°C. The microstructures with various morphologies were fabricated in water or anhydrous ethanol by using polyvinylpyrrolidone and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as surfactants. ZnO rods with aspect ratios up to 30 have been created successfully in water through a hydrothermal process, while novel shuttle-like ZnO microstructures were fabricated in anhydrous ethanol using a similar procedure. ZnO rods revealed wurtzite-type crystal structure according to their X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The morphologies of ZnO microstructures were adjusted conveniently by changing solvents and surfactants. In addition, the sizes of ZnO microstructures decreased under a long reaction time. This morphological evolution of ZnO microstructures indicated that the growth of ZnO is susceptive to reaction time due to the reaction between ZnO and aqueous ammonia. The facile strategy described here would be utilizable for the preparation of various metal oxide microstructures.