ZnO nanorods with different morphologies and their field emission properties

ZnO nanorods with different morphologies were grown by changing the temperature of the process using the thermal vapor deposition method without a catalyst. The X-ray diffraction pattern of these nanorods showed a single-crystalline wurtzite structure and a c -axis orientation. The turn-on fields of the pencil-like and normal ZnO nanorods were 1.7 V/μm and 2.2 V/μm at a current density of 0.1 μA/cm2, and the emission current density from the ZnO nanorods reached 1 mA/cm2 at bias fields of 5.1 V/μm and 7.5 V/μm, respectively. The results indicated that ZnO nanorods could give sufficient brightness as a field emitter in a flat panel display.