Dense and vertically-aligned centimetre-long ZnS nanowire arrays: ionic liquid assisted synthesis and their field emission properties

Based on the self-ordering behavior of ionic liquids on solid surface, a gold ion containing ionic liquid was employed to obtain a uniform pattern of gold nanoparticles on Si substrate. Using this catalytic pattern, super-dense, centimetre long, well-crystallized and vertically-aligned ZnS nanowire arrays were then generated. It was found that the densely-packed gold nanoparticles played a key role in the nanowire alignment. Furthermore, the field-emission measurements show that the present ultralong ZnS nanowires arrays possess a low turn-on field of 3.69 V mu m(-1) and a high field-enhancement factor of 1215.4, indicating they are valuable field emitters.