Fabrication of Hierarchical ZnO Nanostructures via a Surfactant-Directed Process

Abstract

In this work, a facile surfactant-directed process is developed for controlling the morphology of ZnO with distinctive shapes ranging from mushrooms, bihemispheres, dumbbells, bilayer hexagonal disks and prisms to flower-like nanosheet aggregations. The flower-like aggregated nanosheets were formed by oriented attached 4 nm nanoparticles. The hexagonal disks and prisms 1−2 μm in diameter and 50 nm to approximately 4 μm in thickness (or length) were enclosed by {1010} facets. The growth mechanism of these bilayer hexagonal structures was studied by microscopy and spectroscopy. In addition, by replacing the conventional oil−water system, the simple alcohol−water surfactant system employed here provides a more environmentally benign and biosafe approach.