Fabrication of ZnO nanowires at room temperature by cathodically induced sol–gel method

In this study, vertically oriented ZnO nanowires have been fabricated using an Anodized Aluminum Oxide (AAO) template by a cathodically induced sol–gel electrodeposition method at room temperature. For fabrication of the AAO template anodization of Al was carried out in 0.3 M H2C2O4 solution under a constant voltage of 40 V. Electrodeposition of ZnO nanowires in the AAO template was carried out in aqueous Zn(NO3)2 solution. AAO template and ZnO nanowires were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). It was observed that the ZnO nanowires were approximately 70 nm in diameter and 10 μm in length with high aspect ratio. ZnO nanowires were fabricated in a relatively large area of about 5 cm2.