The fabrication and electrical characteristics of ZnO twinned nanowires

Zinc oxide (ZnO) twinned nanowires (TNWs) were synthesized by self-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The microstructures and growth mechanism of the TNWs were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In order to study the electrical characteristics of ZnO TNWs, ZnO TNW-based devices were realized with the help of high-resolution optical microscope and the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The I–V curves of these prepared devices exhibited obvious varistor-like nonlinear I–V behavior.