Controlled low-temperature fabrication of ZnO nanopillars with a wet-chemical approach.

Aqueous chemical growth (ACG) is an efficient way to generate wafer-scale and densely packed arrays of ZnO nanopillars on various substrate materials. ACG is a low-temperature growth approach that is only weakly influenced by the substrate and even allows growth on flexible polymer substrates or on conducting materials. The advanced fabrication of wafer-scale and highly vertically aligned arrays of ZnO nanopillars on various substrate materials is demonstrated. Moreover, it is possible to control the morphology in diameter and length by changing the growth conditions. Photoluminescence characterization clearly shows a comparatively strong band-edge luminescence, even at room temperature, that is accompanied by a rather weak visible luminescence in the yellow/orange spectral range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]