An in-depth understanding of the kinetics of the vapor deposition process is essential to advance this bottom-up nanostructure synthesis approach into a large-scale nanomanufacturing technology. We are interested in the growth behavior of ZnO nanostructures without using catalysts. We observed Zn cluster drift at high deposition temperatures, which provides evidence a for self-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid nanowire growth process. These clusters seeded formation of the ZnO nanoflower structure. This result illustrated an association between ZnO morphologies are and the discrepancy between oxidation rate and condensation rate of Zn. The experimental observation and analysis united the vapor-solid and self-catalyzed growth mechanisms into one coherent system and illustrated the interaction between these two mechanisms via kinetics control.
We are currently working to obtain in-depth understanding of the physical properties associated with the self-catalyzed Zn-rich growth conditions.
To learn more about Prof. Xudong Wang’s research
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