Low-temperature growth and properties of ZnO nanowires

ZnO nanowires were obtained through evaporation of zinc powders under a low temperature of 400 degreesC. These ZnO nanowires, in the diameter of similar to10 nm, were long and curved with lengths of tens of micrometers. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed these ZnO nanowires were mostly crystalline structure; however, the kink parts contained dislocations and stacking faults. Furthermore, the movement of dislocations was observed in the kink parts under e-beam irradiation. Photoluminescence and Raman spectra show that there exist oxygen vacancies in the ZnO nanowires. Possible reasons for the growth and properties of ZnO nanowires were discussed. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.