Plasma-assisted synthesis of zinc nanowires

We demonstrate the growth of Zn nanowires by using a mixture of ZnO and C as precursors via direct current arc discharge method without the addition of any catalyst or template. This simple practical procedure is capable of producing Zn nanowires in large quantities without reoxidation. The Zn nanowires usually have serpentine geometries, with lengths up to a few micrometers and diameters 50–100 nm. The selected area electron diffraction pattern and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image demonstrate perfect crystallinity with the growth direction of [0 0 1]. The growth mechanism of the Zn nanowires can be considered as plasma-assisted vapor–solid mechanism.