Biomimetic Synthesis of Wurtzite ZnO Nanowires Possessing a Mosaic Structure

Growing against the grain: Hierarchically structured ZnO nanowires are generated from an aqueous solution containing an organic molecule (see figure). The oriented architecture of nanograins leads to the formation of nanowires with incorporated organic molecules. The sulfonate groups in the organic molecules are important for the emergence of hierarchical nanowires, especially for the complexation to zinc precursor species and the interaction between zinc oxide crystals.