Self-assembled nanocolumnar ZnO films chemically deposited on stainless steel with controlled morphology and thickness

•Nanocolumnar ZnO films are produced using a straightforward and scalable method.•Diaminopropane concentration enables tailoring the self-assembled ZnO nanocolumns.•Advanced analytical tools were applied to investigate the nanocolumnar ZnO films.

Highly c-axis-oriented ZnO nanocolumns were deposited on stainless steel substrates via a hydrothermal process. We have systematically studied the influence of the diaminopropane concentration on the morphology and thickness of the nanostructured ZnO films formed on the substrate surface. It has been demonstrated that diaminopropane is the key factor in obtaining the columnar morphology, and its concentration controls the height of the ZnO columns formed. Structural investigations by X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that the as-synthesized ZnO nanocolumns were well crystallized, presenting the typical wurtzite structure of ZnO, and grew along the (0001) direction.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide