Preparation and optical property of porous ZnO nanobelts

Porous ZnO nanobelts self-assembled by nanoparticles were fabricated via a two-step process. First, the precursors were prepared via a simple, rapid, controllable solution route. Then, ligand molecules and water molecules can be removed from the precursors during calcinations in air, as a result, porous ZnO nanobelts are formed. In the edge of the nanobelts and the narrow nanobelts, ZnO nanoparticles align wall growth along [0001] directions were observed. In the middle of the wide belts, some nanoporous wall grows along [10−10] and [2−1−10]. The growth mechanism is discussed in detail from beltlike precursor to ZnO nanobelts. The porous ZnO nanobelts exhibit a strong UV emission.