Research on the preparation and growth mechanism of ZnO micro/nano nails

High quality zinc oxide (ZnO) micro/nano nails were prepared through thermal evaporation on the Si (100) substrate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image shows that the bottom of the nanometer nails present hexagonal structure. The tip diameter of the micro/nano nails is about 319.9 nm, and the length is over 20 μm. X-ray crystal diffraction (XRD) pattern shows that the sample has a hexagonal wurtzite structure and preferred orientation in (002) direction obviously. Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum shows a strong ultraviolet (UV) luminescence peak near the wavelength of 346 nm. Finally, the growth mechanism of the ZnO micro/nano nails is analyzed and studied.