Shape and Structure of Zinc Oxide Particles Prepared by Vapor‐Phase Oxidation of Zinc Vapor

The shape and structure of granular and tetrapod‐like ZnO particles prepared by a vapor‐phase method were analyzed by electron microscopy, and the growth mechanism is discussed. Only the wurtzite structure exists in ultrafine particles less than 50 nm, indicating that the ZnO particles have the wurtzite structure from the early stages of growth. The legs of the tetrapod‐like particles are hexagonal prisms grown along the <001> direction. With regard to the geometrical orientation relationship between any two of the four legs, it was found that the (1¯0) planes of the two legs are parallel to each other.