Well-aligned ZnO submicron rod arrays were directly grown on zinc foil by heating zinc foil covered with ZnCl2 solution in air at 400 ℃ for 1 h, and then characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. The results showed that the ZnO submicron rods were single crystalline with the wurtzite structure, the diameters and length were 300～650 nm and 6 μm, respectively. A possible mechanism was also proposed to account for the formation of ZnO submicron rod arrays. The photoluminescence spectrum of the ZnO submicron rod arrays was studied at room temperature. An intense UV emission at 397 nm and a weak, broader blue-green emission peaking at 490 nm were observed. The UV and blue-green emissions corresponded to the near band-edge emission of the wide band-gap ZnO and related intrinsic defect structures of ZnO, respectively.

Key words: ZnO, submicron rod array, photoluminescence