Influence of Deposition Potential on Structure of ZnO Nanowires Synthesized in Track-Etched Membranes

Single-crystal ZnO nanowires long up to several microns were fabricated by one-step electrochemical deposition. A template-based process employing track-etched polycarbonate (TE-PC) membranes was used for this purpose. The morphology and the structure characteristics of the ZnO nanowires were analyzed by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Focused Ion Beam (FIB), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED). The growth process conditions turned out to have a marked influence on the crystal nature and morphology of the nanowires. Deposition rates ranging from 0.4 nm s−1 and up to 0.6 nm s−1 were recorded for the growth of ZnO nanowires. The obtained results showed that by using carefully controlled deposition conditions single crystalline nanowires and fine-grained structures can be routinely obtained.