LAUSR

Abstract The spray pyrolysis of ZnCl2 solutions on the highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrates is investigated, and the growth of symmetrically faceted ZnO nanorods on the edges of multilayer graphene sheets is demonstrated. Profound lattice mismatch between the basal plane of wurtzite ZnO and graphene and the selective oxygen adsorption on HOPG render the graphene edges the preferred nucleation sites. A multilayer graphene sheet integrates with the edge-nucleated ZnO crystallite growing on both of its sides, resulting in an excellent graphene/ZnO electrical contact. Substrate temperature, within the 200–450 °C range, is the most influential parameter in determining the nanorods morphology.