Structural and cathodoluminescence properties of stalactite-like ZnO nanorods fabricated with assistance of Ni-Zn alloy catalyst

Stalactite-like ZnO nanorods (NRs) have been synthesized on Ni-coated Si (1 0 0) substrates using a simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The NRs are promoted by the Ni-Zn alloy catalyst particle. X-ray diffraction (XRD) result indicates that the ZnO NRs have a wurtzite structure preferentially oriented in the [0 0 0 1] direction. Cathodoluminescence measurements of an individual ZnO NR exhibit three strong broad peaks (centered at 503, 515, and 526 nm, respectively), which can be attributed to the oxygen vacancy related deep level emission.