Spatial luminescent properties and growth mechanism of one- and two-dimensional ZnO complexes

► Unique ZnO nanocomplexes of 1D nanorods combined with 2D hexagonal plates are fabricated on Si substrate by a chemical vapor deposition without using any catalysts. ► A spatially resolved CL is developed to study luminescence mapping of ZnO, which can help us to study the impurity distribution in ZnO nanostructures. ► Based on the spatially resolved CL study, a VS growth mechanism with a two-step growth process is speculated for the formation of ZnO nanocomplexes.