Controllable growth of ZnO nanowhiskers by a simple solution route

One-dimensional (1D) needle-like ZnO nanowhiskers have been grown directly from aqueous solution containing Zn(OH)42− ions which is produced by zinc chloride and sodium hydroxide, in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Through the improved novel approach, uniform ZnO nanowhiskers with diameters ranging from 80 to 120 nm and an average length of about 4 μm (aspect ratio ∼40:1) were successfully prepared at a low hydrothermal temperature (85 °C) with a short reaction time (5 h). The nanowhiskers exhibit a perfect single crystalline wurtzite structure with [0 0 0 1] as the growth orientation. The growth mechanism, as well as the controllable factors on the crystal size and shape, is also discussed in detail.