Formation and Size Control of ZnO Nanowires on Al-Zn-Si-Fe Alloy by Directed Melt Oxidation Process

Tetrapod like ZnO nanowires were formed by directed melt oxidation of Al-Zn-Si-Fe alloy at over 1000 C in air. XRD patterns revealed that the ZnO nanowires had wurtzite structure with c-axis and a-axis lattice constants of 0.520 and 0.325 nm, respectively. The lattice constants are similar to those of ZnO single crystal. The size control of ZnO nanowires was achieved by varying the oxidation temperature and the amount of Zn in the alloy. The lower the oxidation temperature, the smaller the diameter of the ZnO nanowires. With decreasing amount of Zn, the diameter of the formed ZnO nanowires decreased. The diameter was as small as 50 nm at 5 wt% Zn. 10 refs.