title: Synthesis of vertically aligned ultra-long ZnO nanowires on heterogeneous substrates with catalyst at the root.
abstract: The synthesis of ultra-long high-quality ZnO nanowires with uniform size and orientation on heterogeneous substrates is highly desirable, not only for investigating the fundamental properties of ZnO nanowires, but also for fabricating integrated functional nanodevices. Here we present a novel and general technique for growing vertically aligned ultra-long ZnO nanowires on various substrates. More importantly, the metal catalyst is experimentally determined not at the tip ends of the nanowires but at the junction area between the nanowires and the underlying substrate. Based on detailed analysis and control group results, we then propose a three-stage growth mechanism, in which vapor-liquid-solid growth and vapor-solid growth compete with each other to become dominant.
authors.affiliation: School of Material Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yusheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Sihong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Rusen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bando
authors.forename: Zhong lin
authors.initials: Zl
authors.lastname: Wang