A facile approach for the synthesis of ZnO@C core@shell hexagonal nanorods and their conversion to carbon nanotubes

An efficient one-step thermolysis method is developed to fabricate an optically active and well-ordered array of zinc oxide (ZnO)@C core@shell hexagonal (ZCCSH) nanorods. These nanorods containing oxygen vacancy defects are synthesized using zinc acetate dihydrate under sealed conditions by a thermolysis reaction, and exhibit strong light absorption throughout the visible region and in most of the near-IR region. ZCCSH nanorods are converted to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by a simple acid treatment with a high dispersion concentration (1.83 mg/mL) in an organic solvent. The CNTs exhibit good electrical conductivity (6100 S/m). The morphology, structure, and interface characteristics of ZCCSH and CNTs are investigated.