Mechanistic investigation of ZnO nanowire growth

ZnO nanowire (NW) growth mechanism was investigated in a nonvapor and noncatalytic approach for the controlled NW synthesis in a second time scale. The experimental results showed what ZnO NW growth was determined by migration of zinc interstitials and vacancies in a ZnO layer, which should be also considered in other synthesis techniques and mechanisms. The mechanism of the ZnO NW growth was explained as due to the advantageous diffusion through grain boundaries in ZnO layer and crystal defects in NWs. Additionally, on the basis of photoluminescence measurements, a feasible application of as-produced wires for optoelectronic devices was demonstrated