Derivation of the surface free energy of ZnO and GaN using in situ electron beam hole drilling

Abstract

Surface free energy, as an intrinsic property, is essential in determining the morphology of materials, but it is extremely difficult to determine experimentally. We report on the derivation of the SE of different facets of ZnO and GaN experimentally from the holes developed using electron beam drilling with transmission electron microscopy. Inverse Wullf's construction is employed to obtain polar maps of the SE of different facets to study different nanomaterials (ZnO and GaN) in different morphologies (nanorod, nanobelt and thin film) to prove its versatility and capability. The results show that the SE of ZnO{10−13} is derived to be 0.99 J m⁻², and the SE of ZnO{10−10} is found to be less than {0002} and {11−20}. A GaN thin film also exhibits a similar trend in the SE of different facets as ZnO and the SE of GaN{10−13} is determined to be 1.36 J m⁻².