Controlling the Morphology of Zinc Oxide Nanorods Crystallized From Aqueous Solutions: The Effects of Crystal Growth Modifiers on Aspect Ratio

Published

October 16, 2008

Author(s)

Simon Garcia, Stephen Semancik

Abstract

The effect of growth modifiers on the morphology of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods crystallized from solution is characterized. During hydrolysis of zinc nitrate at pH=7.6 and 75 C, hexagonally prismatic ZnO microcrystals were grown in the presence of three growth modifiers: poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC), sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS), and trisodium citrate. Using statistical analyses of SEM images, crystal dimensions were quantified and the median aspect ratio (ratio of prism length to width) was determined as a function of modifier concentration. In the absence of growth modifiers, the median crystal aspect ratio was 5.2. The aspect ratio was reduced to 4.7, 2.5, and 0.25 in the presence of, respectively, 10 ppm PDADMAC, 10 ppm PSS, and 40 M citrate. These effects are explained in terms of both electrostatic and coordinative binding between growth modifier and crystal surface.

Citation

Chemistry of Materials

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

crystal growth, growth modifier, morphology, nanorod, shape control, zinc oxide

Citation

Garcia, S. and Semancik, S. (2008), Controlling the Morphology of Zinc Oxide Nanorods Crystallized From Aqueous Solutions: The Effects of Crystal Growth Modifiers on Aspect Ratio, Chemistry of Materials (Accessed October 21, 2025)