In-Situ X-ray Characterization of Nanowires

Alex Weller, Georgia Institute of Technology, SURF 2008 Fellow Advisor: Dr. Robert Snyder, Mentor: Melanie Kirkham Introduction: Much research has taken place in recent years in the synthesis of ZnO nanowires (NWs) due to their unique electronic and optical properties that make them excellent candidates for the use in nano devices such as nanogenerators, LEDs, gas sensors and biosensors. Additionally, the electronic and optical properties of ZnO NWs can be finely tuned through the use of dopants. Most often, however, research has centered on common synthesis techniques that require either high temperatures, dangerous gases, or the use of an extrinsic catalyst such as Au nanoparticles which makes the synthesis of ZnO NWs impractical or too expensive for many applications. An alternative method for ZnO NW synthesis is to simply heat micron sized Zn particles to around 500°C at 30°/min in air at ambient pressure. The relatively low temperature and highly pure starting materials make this a promising method for the synthesis of ZnO NWs. This paper reports the results of in-situ HTXRD of the grown ZnO NWs and suggests a possible method for the incorporation of dopants.