Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1615755 | Journal of Alloys and Compounds | 2012 | 5 Pages |
Novel hierarchical ZnO hexagonal towers were fabricated via chemical vapor deposition for the first time by adding trace Fe power in the precursor as a catalyst. The scanning electron microscopy images showed that the outside surface of novel hierarchical ZnO hexagonal towers was layer-by-layer assembly. X-ray diffraction pattern indicated that the hierarchical ZnO hexagonal towers grew preferentially along the [0 0 0 1] direction. Intense UV emission centered at 380 nm was observed at room temperature. Moreover, their field-emission properties were studied. A low turn-on electric field of 2.37 V μm−1 and high field enhancement factor of about 2691 were obtained, due to the novel layer structure and high crystalline quality. This kind of hierarchical ZnO microstructures could be a good candidate for high performance field emission devices.
► Novel hierarchical ZnO hexagonal towers (NHZOHTs) were fabricated via chemical vapor deposition, adding trace Fe power in the precursor as a catalyst. ► The growth mechanism for the NHZOHTs is due to second epitaxial growth of ZnO nanorods based on the atomic structure model and morphological evolution. ► The photoluminescence and field-emission properties were measured. ► Field-emission measurements of the NHZOHTs show a good result, due to the novel layer structure and high crystalline quality.