Direct evidence for electron beam irradiation-induced phenomena in nanowired ZnO thin films

In-situ electron beam induced microstructural transformation experiments, leading to porosity in nanowires of ZnO, have been performed under a TEM operated at an electron accelerating voltage of 200 kV. For this purpose, nanowired (diameter: 20 to 80 nm) films of ZnO with thickness ~ 100 to 120 nm, were grown via metal-catalyst free-vapor phase mechanism. The evolved porosity (pore size about 2 to 20 nm) in nanowires, under electron beam irradiation, has been attributed to different bond-breaking phenomena at molecular Zn-O. Such nanoporous objects of ZnO are beneficial for various optical and sensing devices.