title: Conversion of zinc oxide nanobelts into superlattice-structured nanohelices.
abstract: A previously unknown rigid helical structure of zinc oxide consisting of a superlattice-structured nanobelt was formed spontaneously in a vapor-solid growth process. Starting from a single-crystal stiff nanoribbon dominated by the c-plane polar surfaces, an abrupt structural transformation into the superlattice-structured nanobelt led to the formation of a uniform nanohelix due to a rigid lattice rotation or twisting. The nanohelix was made of two types of alternating and periodically distributed long crystal stripes, which were oriented with their c axes perpendicular to each other. The nanohelix terminated by transforming into a single-crystal nanobelt dominated by nonpolar (0110) surfaces. The nanohelix could be manipulated, and its elastic properties were measured, which suggests possible uses in electromechanically coupled sensors, transducers, and resonators.
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0245, USA.
authors.forename: Pu Xian
authors.initials: PX
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Wenjie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mai
authors.forename: William L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Changshi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lao
authors.forename: Zhong Lin
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Wang