Zinc oxide nanostructures and porous films produced by oxidation of zinc precursors in wet-oxygen atmosphere

Wet oxidation can be used to produce high quality zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures at moderately high temperatures with low requirements of equipment and experimental conditions. Zn precursor films were prepared by magnetron sputtering and controlled ZnO nanostructures were produced by oxidation of the Zn precursor films in wet O2. The growth mechanism of the ZnO nanowires and nanobelts in wet oxidation was discussed based on the experimental results. Silver and nitrogen doping were realized in the wet oxidation process, with different techniques. The structural and optical properties of the ZnO nanostructures were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and photoluminescence (PL) measurements to understand the growth process of ZnO in wet oxidation. The production of ZnO porous films by wet oxidation process is also presented.