Synthesis and optical properties of two novel ZnO flowerlike and spindlelike nanostructures

A new aqueous chemical growth method for generation of ZnO flowerlike and spindlelike nanostructures, transformed from layered basic zinc acetate (LBZA) nanobelts, is developed. The novel as-synthesized ZnO flowerlike and spindlelike nanostructures are mainly due to the pH. They are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The X-ray diffraction peaks indicate that these ZnO nanostructures prefer to grow along the C-axis. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements show that the ZnO flowerlike nanostructures have strong ultraviolet (UV) emission properties at 380 nm, while no defect-related visible emission can be detected. The good performance for photoluminescence emission makes the ZnO flowerlike nanostructures to be promising candidates for photonic and electronic device applications.