ZnO micro- and nanostructures obtained by thermal oxidation: Microstructure, morphogenesis, optical, and photoluminescence properties

Abstract

ZnO micro- and nanostructures were obtained through thermal oxidation of Zn powders at high temperature under air atmosphere. A detailed study of the microstructure, morphology, optical, and photoluminescence properties of the generated products at different stages of thermal oxidation is presented. It was found that the exposure time has a strong influence on the resulting morphology. The morphogenesis of the different ZnO structures is discussed, and experimental parameters for fabricating ZnO tetrapods, hollow, core-shell, elongated, or rounded structures by thermal oxidation method are proposed on the basis on the obtained results. Notoriously, the crystal lattice of the ZnO structures has negligible residual strain, although, the density of point defects increases when the thermal treatment is extended; as consequence, their visible luminescence upon UV excitation enhances.