In this paper, regular ZnO nanorods with excellent reproducibility were grown by a simple solution method at low temperature. The growth parameters, which can affect the ZnO nanostructures were studied, including the substrate types, the growth temperature, the growth time and the concentration of the solution. Among these conditions, the influence of different substrates on the resulting nanostructures was investicated carefully. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the morphology and microstructure of the as-grown ZnO nanorods. It is concluded that the substrates can affect the ZnO growth remarkably and the selective growth of ZnO is possible through the choice of the substrates.

Keywords: low-temperature; substrate; selective growth; zinc oxide nanorods; solution-based