Patent ID: 8790614

Claim:
A zinc oxide structure comprising a plurality of microrods or nanorods, each rod exhibiting the wurtzite crystal structure, the longitudinal axis of each rod being aligned with the <0001> direction of the wurtzite crystal structure and each rod including a. a central region, the surface of the central region including i. six central facets, each central facet corresponding to a crystallographic plane of the form {1 0 −1 0}, {0 1 −1 0}, {−1 1 0 0}, {−1 0 1 0}, {0 −1 1 0} or {1 −1 0 0}; ii. six central edge regions, each central edge region being located between two central facets and including a crystallographic plane of the form {2 −1 −1 0} or {−2 1 1 0}; and b. a tip region connected to the central region, the width of the rod in the tip region being less than that in the central region wherein the surface of the central region, the tip region or a combination thereof includes a plurality of pits, the distance spanning each pit being from 1 nm to 200 nm.