Growth of anisotropic one-dimensional ZnS nanostructures

Anisotropic growth in nanomaterials can lead to many interesting growth morphologies. This is especially true when the crystal structure contains anisotropy not only due to different surface plane energies but also due to surface polarity and/or chemical activity. Such is the case with wurtzite ZnS. This feature article covers the ZnS one-dimensional nanostructures that have been synthesized by a vapor–solid process, focusing on nanowires, nanorods, nanobelts, nanohelices and other derived nanostructures. This feature article mainly focuses on the polar surface dominated growth phenomena and the understanding of their formation mechanisms.