Texture-controlled growth of ZnO nanorods/films by aluminum ion and solvent

Great efforts have been made to fabricate ZnO nanostructures/films due to their wide-field applications. In this report, ZnO nanorods/films have been prepared by a low-temperature solution growth. The combined effects of aluminum ion and solvent on the growth of ZnO nanorods/films have been investigated. The density of ZnO nanorods grown in the aqueous solution deceases with increasing concentration of Al3+, while it increases with increasing ethanol content in the solution. The SEM results clearly indicate that there is a competition between solvent and Al3+ ion effects on the nucleation density, owing to the lateral growth of ZnO crystals with ethanol and the formation of a second compound of zinc aluminum layered double hydroxide, respectively.