Growth of self-assembled ZnO nanoleaf from aqueous solution by pulsed laser ablation

Zinc oxide 'nanoleaf' structures have been synthesized at room temperature and pressure using the novel technique of pulsed laser ablation (Nd:YAG 532 nm) of a zinc target in an aqueous solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM), photoluminescence spectroscopy and UV-visible spectroscopy were used to study the morphology, nanostructure and optical properties of these ZnO nanostructures. The growth mechanism appears to involve an increase of the structural complexity from zero-dimensional nanoparticles to one-dimensional nanorods, and then broadening of these into two-dimensional 'nanoleaf' structures. Variations are discussed in terms of differences in the concentration of SDS and the laser ablation time.