Synthesis of ZnO hexagonal tubes by a microwave heating method

ZnO hexagonal tubes with well faceted end and side surfaces are synthesized by microwave heating method without any metal catalyst. The average diameters and the lengths of the tubes are over 10 and 100 μm, and the wall thickness of the ZnO tubes is typically between 0.5 and 1 μm. A vapor–solid mechanism is proposed to explain the growth process of ZnO hexagonal tubes.