Growth of ZnO Nanowires Catalyzed by Size-Dependent Melting of Au Nanoparticles

Abstract

We present a general approach to growing ZnO nanowires on arbitrary, high melting point (above 970 °C) substrates using the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) growth mechanism. Our approach utilizes the melting point reduction of sufficiently small (5 nm diameter) Au particles to provide a liquid catalyst without substrate interaction. Using this size-dependent melting effect, we demonstrate catalytic VLS growth of ZnO nanowires on both Ti and Mo foil substrates with aspect ratios in excess of 1000:1. Transmission electron microscopy shows the nanowires to be single-crystalline, and photoluminescence spectra show high-quality optical properties. We believe this growth technique to be widely applicable to a variety of substrates and material systems.