Synthesis novel multi-petals ZnO nano-structure by a cyclodextrin assisted solution route

Multi-petals ZnO nano-structure has been directly prepared through a facile solution route with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) assistance. The product was investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The results indicate that this ZnO nano-structure consists of several petals, and each petal is composed of many little rods. The rods prefer to grow along the [0001] direction (+c axis) and lay parallel, and β-CD plays a crucial role in forming such novel structure. If not using β-CD in the preparation process, only larger rods could be obtained. Furthermore, the possible formation mechanism for this multi-petals nano-structure is also discussed.