Hydrothermal synthesis, growth mechanism, and properties of three-dimensional micro/nanoscaled hierarchical architecture films of hemimorphite zinc silicate

A simple hydrothermal route has been developed for the fabricating hemimorphite zinc silicate, Zn4Si2O7(OH)2·H2O (ZSO), 3D hierarchical architecture films deposited on the Si substrate. Individual ZSO hierarchical architectures are assembled by many well-aligned and highly ordered rod bundles. The morphologies of the rod bundles within the ZSO hierarchical superstructures can be varied with the different surfactants and Zn sources; it realizes parts or all of the assembled rod bundles transforming into a single non-hierarchical prism. A possible mechanism for the formation of the ZSO hierarchical architectures is carefully investigated. The luminescence property of the ZSO architectures was dependent on the morphologies of the rod bundles within the ZSO hierarchical superstructures; also, as-prepared ZSO hierarchical superstructure films exhibits a hydrophobic feature.