One-pot hydrothermal synthesis of heterostructured ZnO/ZnS nanorod arrays with high ethanol-sensing properties.

ZnO/ZnS heterostructured nanorod arrays with uniform diameter and length were synthesized from zinc substrates in a one-pot procedure by using a simple hydrothermal method. Structural characterization by HRTEM indicated that the heterostructured nanorods were composed of parallel segments of wurtzite-type ZnO and zinc-blende ZnS, with a distinct interface along the axial direction, which revealed the epitaxial relationship, ZnO (1010) and ZnS (111). The as-prepared ZnO/ZnS nanorods showed only two green emissions at around 523 nm and 576 nm. We also found that the nanorods exhibited high sensitivity to ethanol at relatively low temperatures, owing to their smaller size and structure.