Density-controlled growth of aligned ZnO nanowires sharing a common contact: A simple, low-cost, and mask-free technique for large-scale applications

An effective, low cost simple, and mask-free pathway is demonstrated for achieving density control of the aligned ZnO nanowires grown for large-scale applications. The study represents an approach for growing aligned nanowire arrays on a ceramic substrate with the simultaneous formation of a continuous conducting electrode at the roots, which is important for device applications, such as field emission.