Synthesis of ultrathin ZnO nanofibers aligned on a zinc substrate

The synthesis of aligned ZnO nanofibers in a dense array and on a Zn substrate by hydrothermal treatment of Zn foil in an ammonia/alcohol/water mixed solution, was illustrated. The whole surface of the ZnO foil is completely covered with the nanofibers which grow in the form of bundles oriented in a direction perpendicular to the Zn substrate surface. The bundles consist of multitudinous ultrathin nanofibers and usually terminate in sharp needles, and the ZnO nanofibers nanofibers have been examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photoluminescence (PL) measurements at room temperature revealed a significantly blue-shifted near-band-edge emission at 373 nm as a result of quantum confinement.