Splendid one-dimensional nanostructures of zinc oxide: a new nanomaterial family for nanotechnology.

Zinc oxide is a unique material that exhibits exceptional semiconducting, piezoelectric, and pyroelectric properties. Nanostructures of ZnO are equally as important as carbon nanotubes and silicon nanowires for nanotechnology and have great potential applications in nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, sensors, field emission, light-emitting diodes, photocatalysis, nanogenerators, and nanopiezotronics. Fundamental understanding about the growth of ZnO nanowires is of critical importance for controlling their size, composition, structure, and corresponding physical and chemical properties. The papers by She et al. and Ito et al. in this issue describe the controlled growth and field-emission properties of individual nanostructures, respectively. These studies provide new approaches and insight into the controlled growth and electrical properties of ZnO nanostructures.