A versatile synthesis approach and interface characterization of t‑ZnO@metal hydroxide/oxide heterostructures

Abstract

Functional ceramics play a key role in technology, particularly in piezoelectric sensors and actuators, ferroelectric power generation, and durable semiconductors used in sensors and memristors. In this study, we report a versatile wet chemical synthesis approach, converting the surface of functional tetrapodal zinc oxide (t-ZnO) to common metal hydroxides. We performed structural, morphological, and interface characterization and explored the subsequent application of various t-ZnO@metal hydroxide/oxide core−shell structures. The t-ZnO core was initially uniformly coated with different metal hydroxides, forming distinct platelets in a core−shell architecture. Interface studies were conducted to investigate the chemical, structural, and morphological properties of these hybrid microstructures using 2D scanning nano X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), bulk XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. Our findings highlight the potential of exceptional t-ZnO structures as versatile templates, offering their morphology for the synthesis of derived oxides and hydroxides of many other elements while leveraging their structural advantages.