ZnO Nanowires: Growth, Properties and Advantages

Abstract

One-dimensional anisotropic nanostructures, and in particular nanowires, are under intensive investigations over the last decade owing to their unique physical properties and their documented performance in a wide range of opto-electronic and nano-photonic devices. Here, we present a short overview of the main assets of nanowire arrays with particular emphasis as materials for solar energy harvesting and conversion. A brief survey on the main growth techniques of ZnO nanowires, i.e. chemical vapor deposition and solution chemistry is also presented.