ZnO Nanorods Synthesized by Self-Catalytic Method of Metal in Atmospheric Microwave Plasma Torch Flame

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods synthesized by an explosive oxidation reaction in a microwave plasma torch flame were presented. The structural characteristics and morphology of the as-synthesized ZnO nanorods were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), field-emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. It was revealed by FETEM that most of the ZnO nanorods were pure and had an average diameter of 80 nm and a length of up to 300 nm, and some ZnO nanorods had a hexagonal tip, tripod-like shape with a length of up to 1 µm. PL spectra show only strong UV emission at approximately 380 nm without any defect-related emissions, indicating good crystalline ZnO. Also, a possible mechanism of the growth of the ZnO nanorods is discussed.