Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a unique material that exhibits semiconducting as well as piezoelectric properties. Oxidation of pure metallic Zinc at low temperatures of 500-600oC for 2 h has resulted in a range of nanostructures of ZnO on the surface of metallic Zinc. These unique nanostructures clearly demonstrate that ZnO has a very rich family of nanostructures. These nanostructures could have applications in a wide range of areas like optoelectronics, sensors, transducers and biomedical sciences. In this article the various nanostructures of ZnO grown by the low temperature oxidation of metallic Zn has been reported. The structure and morphology of ZnO formed by oxidation of high purity metallic Zn at high temperatures (700-1000oC) was also analyzed. Oxidation of metallic Zn at higher temperatures of 700-1000oC for 2 h has resulted in a ZnO having a completely different needle like morphology. The change in the structure of ZnO formed on the surface of the metallic Zn as it was oxidized at different temperatures from 300 to 1000oC for 2 h is reported here. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction were performed in order to determine the composition of the nanostructures and the needle like structures.
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