Vapor-liquid-solid processes allow growing high-quality nanowires from a catalyst. An alternative to the conventional use of catalyst thin films, colloidal nanoparticles offer advantages not only in terms of cost, but also in terms of controlling the location, size, density, and morphology of the grown nanowires. In this work, we report on the influence of different parameters of a colloidal Au nanoparticle suspension on the catalyst-assisted growth of ZnO nanostructures by a vapor-transport method. Modifying colloid parameters such as solvent and concentration, and growth parameters such as temperature, pressure, and Ar gas flow, ZnO nanowires, nanosheets, nanotubes and branched-nanowires can be grown over silica on silicon and alumina substrates. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals the high-crystal quality of the ZnO nanostructures obtained. The photoluminescence results show a predominant emission in the ultraviolet range corresponding to the exciton peak, and a very broad emission band in the visible range related to different defect recombination processes. The growth parameters and mechanisms that control the shape of the ZnO nanostructures are here analyzed and discussed. The ZnO-branched nanowires were grown spontaneously through catalyst migration. Furthermore, the substrate is shown to play a significant role in determining the diameters of the ZnO nanowires by affecting the surface mobility of the metal nanoparticles.
Keywords: Au nanoparticles; VLS; ZnO nanostructures; solvents; thermal dewetting.