Screw-dislocation-driven growth of ZnO nanotubes seeded by self-perpetuating spirals during hydrothermal processing

Abstract

We report the effects of precursor concentration on the characteristics of ZnO nanostructures during hydrothermal processing. Self-perpetuating surface spirals are fabricated at concentrations of 0.25 and 0.5 M, with samples grown at concentrations of 0.05 and 0.125 M exhibiting ZnO nanorods. This can be explained by a change in the growth mode from an initial columnar growth to a screw-dislocation-driven growth with decreased supersaturation. The screw dislocations nucleate at the V-shaped valleys of the columnar boundaries during the intermediate stage. We demonstrate that continuous screw-dislocation-driven growth leads to the formation of ZnO nanotubes having Burger’s vectors of 1.45 nm.