Abstract:
This work reports the controlled growth of ZnO/SnO2 mixed nanowires,
fabricated by the bottom up process of carbon assisted thermal evaporation
method, through vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism. In this study, SnO2,
ZnO and activated carbon powders are used to grow ZnO/SnO2 mixed
nanowires with the help of a gold catalyst on alumina substrate. Tin, zinc,
and gold eutectic compounds promote a nucleation site for the deposition of
ZnO/SnO2 mixed nanowires synthesized at 900°C. The crystalline structures
of ZnO/SnO2 nanowires are analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The
morphological characterization of fabricated products is performed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). A sharp peak of XRD
patterns exhibits the high crystallinity of the ZnO/SnO2 mixed nanowires.
FESEM images show that the length of nanowires increased from 2 μm to 80
μm with the increase of growth time from 30 min to 120 min. These mixed
nanowires could find potential applications in chemical gas sensors and
optoelectronic devices.
