Fabrication and characterization of novel ZnO tetrapods induced by polar surfaces

Novel ZnO tetrapods have been successfully synthesized on MgO-coated Si (111) substrates by chemical vapor deposition method (CVD) at 1000 °C. The tetrapod is made up of four legs and added prisms. The particles are single crystal with the wurtzite hexagonal structure, and the growth direction of the tetrapods changes from [0001] to [011¯1]. This configuration is a new member in the family of ZnO microstructures. The pre-prepared MgO films on the Si (111) substrates can promote the growth of the tetrapods effectively. In addition, the octahedral multiple twin model and polar surfaces are proposed for interpreting the growth of the tetrapods.