One-Step Solution Synthesis of ZnO Nanotubes

Well crystalline ZnO nanotubes were synthesized via a simple one-step solution route in the presence of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate(SDBS) and sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS) using zinc acetate and sodium hydroxide as raw materials. The structure, morphology and fluorescence of the obtained powders were characterized by XRD, SEM, HRTEM, SAED and PL. Results show that ZnO nanotubes are all hexagonal wurtzite structure and preferentially grow along c-axis. The outer diameter of the tubes ranges from 720 to 780 nm. The tube thickness and average length is about 120 nm and 1.5 mu m, respectively. The PL spectrum shows an UV and a visible light emission. The formation mechanism of ZnO nanotubes, as well as the effects of surfactant and solution basicity on the products were also studied.