Research interest in ZnO nanostructures derives from their excellent luminescent properties and availability of low cost fabricating and processing,which hold promise for the development of electronic and optoelectronic nanodevices.In this review,we focus on the progress in synthesis,properties and nanodevices of ZnO nanorod(NR)arrays and nanotetrapods(NTPs).Recent work done by the authors are also presented.After a brief introduction to the controlled fabrication methods for the highly-ordered ZnO NR arrays and NTPs,we present some aspects of the fundamental properties,especially optical performance,of ZnO NRs/NTPs.Then,we provide an overview of the applications to functional nanodevices based on individual NR and NTP of ZnO.It is demonstrated that different morphologies of ZnO nanostructures have salient effects on their properties and applications.Although much progress has been achieved in the fundamental and applied investigations of ZnO NRs/NTPs over the past decade,many obstacles still remain,hampering further development in this field.Finally,some longstanding problems that warrant further investigation are addressed.
Ag/Fe multilayers with well compositional modulation periodicity of 4-60 nm were prepared at room temperature by evaporation deposition using an ultra high vacuum (UHV) chamber. Their microstructure and hardness were investigated using XRD, TEM and nanoindentation. The fcc/bcc type multilayers show a textured polycrystalline growth with Ag (111) and Fe (110) in Ag layers and Fe layers, respectively. The hardness increases with decreasing periodicity and approaches the maximum of 6.36 GPa at the periodicity of 4 nm. The peak hardness is 1.51 times mixture value. The experimental results are well explained by the dislocation-image force-based model developed by Lehoczky.
Fe/Gd multilayers were prepared by alternate vapor deposition of pure Fe and Gd at a rate of 0.01-0.03 nm/s in an ultra-high-vacuum electron-gun evaporation system. The effects of the constituent metal layer thickness on the microstructures and magnetic properties of the films were investigated by low angle X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The experimental results show that a transition from the polycrystalline to amorphous state in the Fe layers occurs with the decrease of Fe layer thickness in the Fe/Gd multilayers. The saturation magnetization of the multilayers reduces significantly with decreasing Fe layer thickness and increasing Gd layer thickness. A superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature is observed for the [Fe(0.6 nm)/Gd(4.0 nm)]15 multilayer due to the formation of discontinuous Fe layers.
