Surfactant-free preparation of ZnO dendritic structures by electrochemical method

Based on electrochemical dissolution of a sacrificial Zn electrode and subsequent electrochemical deposition of dissolved zinc ions, the controllable preparation of hierarchical assembly of Zn or Zn/ZnO nanostructures is studied. If the applied potential is low (here, <1 V), hierarchical assembly of hexagonal Zn planes that resemble leafs are obtained, whereas Zn/ZnO composites consisting of hexagonal Zn planes in core and ZnO buds in shell are synthesized at a high potential (here, >1.5 V). Morphological changes and composition of nanostructures in terms of applied potentials are described in detail. The composition and crystallinity of nanostructures are confirmed by XRD and TEM analysis.