Hydrothermal growth of low-density ZnO microrod arrays on nonseeded FTO substrates

摘要

Low-density ZnO microrod arrays with a diameter of approximately 1 urn and a space length of approximately 10 μm are prepared on nonseeded fluorine doped tin oxide substrates (FTO) via a low-temperature hydrothermal process. The ZnO microrod possess a well-defined hexagonal prism morphology. It is found that the tin oxide (SnO_2) on FTO surface plays a critical role in dictating the initial growth of ZnO microrods. The excellent lattice matching condition between ZnO and SnO_2 promotes the epitaxial nucleation of the ZnO microrods on the FTO substrate. The unprecedented low-density ZnO microrod arrays provide an important feature for future electronic devices.