Brush-shaped ZnO heteronanorods synthesized using thermal-assisted pulsed laser deposition

Brush-shaped ZnO heteronanostructures were synthesized using a newly designed thermal-assisted pulsed laser deposition (T-PLD) system that combines the advantages of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and a hot furnace system. Branched ZnO nanostructures were successfully grown onto CVD-grown backbone nanowires by T-PLD. Although ZnO growth at 300 °C resulted in core-shell structures, brush-shaped hierarchical nanostructures were formed at 500-600 °C. Materials properties were studied via photoluminescence (PL), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterizations. The enhanced photocurrent of a SnO(2)-ZnO heterostructures device by irradiation with 365 nm wavelength ultraviolet (UV) light was also investigated by the current-voltage characteristics.