Low temperature carving of ZnO nanorods into nanotubes for dye-sensitized solar cell application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dehghan Nayeri, Fatemeh, E-mail: F.d.nayeri@ut.ac.ir; Kolahdouz, Mohammadreza; Asl-Soleimani, Ebrahim; Mohajerzadeh, S.

2015-06-05

Highlights: • Large scale arrays of highly oriented ZnO NTs have been fabricated and investigated. • The DSSCs made of these 2.5 μm NRs and NTs resulted in conversion efficiencies of 0.34% and 0.9%, respectively. • EIS measurements have demonstrated that the NTs could acquire a higher electron lifetime compared to NRs. • Twofold electron lifetime electron accompanied by half electron transport time for ZnO NTs compared to NRs. - Abstract: High aspect ratio zinc oxide (ZnO) nanotubes (NT) were synthesized based on a two-steps approach. In the first step, ZnO nanorod (NR) arrays were prepared by chemical bath deposition from an aqueous of zinc nitrate. In the second step, the cores of ZnO NRs were carved selectively in a KCl solution, resulting in the formation of a tubular structure. The influence of KCL concentration, temperature, and immersion time on the ZnO NT formation process was completely characterized and investigated. 12.5 μm NRs and NTs have been utilized to manufacture dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and as a result, conversion efficiencies of 1.06% and 2.87% were obtained, respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements have demonstrated that the NTs could acquire a higher electron lifetime compared to NRs which causes a faster electron collection. The overall improvement in NT-based DSSC performance demonstrates a new approach to enhance the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells.

The role of seeding in the morphology and wettability of ZnO nanorods films on different substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodríguez, Juan; Onna, Diego; Sánchez, Luis; Marchi, M. Claudia; Candal, Roberto; Ponce, Silvia; Bilmes, Sara A.

2013-01-01

Spray pyrolysis (SP) and spray-gel (SG) techniques were used to deposit ZnO seeds on Fluor doped tin oxide glasses (FTO), heated at 350 °C or 130 °C, and PET heated at 90 °C. The effect of seeding on the morphology and wettability of ZnO nanorods (NRs) films grown by wet chemical methods was analyzed. The morphology and wettability of ZnO NRs films depend on the seeding process. SP seeds formed from zinc acetate dissolved in water ethanol mixtures yield vertically aligned ZnO NRs, whose diameters and dispersion size are determined by the ethanol/water ratio in the precursor solution. SG seeds formed from a methanol ZnO sol produce a ring patterned distribution on the FTO substrate. The drying of ZnO sol drops impinging on the substrate produces high density of seeds along a ring yielding textured films with NRs vertically oriented on the rings and multi-oriented outside them. This effect was not observed when ZnO NRs grown onto the ZnO/PET substrate, however rod diameter is related with the density of seeds. This way to control the density and diameter of NRs deposited onto a substrate modify the wettability and opens new possibilities for the design of tailored nanomaterials for photochemical applications. Both type of NRs films showed a strong luminescence emission in the UV and in the blue, associated with surface and intrinsic defects.

The role of seeding in the morphology and wettability of ZnO nanorods films on different substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodríguez, Juan [Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, P.O. Box 31-139, Lima 31, Perú (Peru); Onna, Diego [DQIAQF-INQUIMAE, FCEyN-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, 1428 Buenos Aires (Argentina); Sánchez, Luis [Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, P.O. Box 31-139, Lima 31, Perú (Peru); Marchi, M. Claudia [DQIAQF-INQUIMAE, FCEyN-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, 1428 Buenos Aires (Argentina); Centro de Microscopias Avanzadas, FCEyN-Universidad ed Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. I, 1428 Buenos Aires (Argentina); Candal, Roberto, E-mail: rjcandal@gmail.com [DQIAQF-INQUIMAE, FCEyN-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, 1428 Buenos Aires (Argentina); ECyT, 3iA, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Martín de Irigoyen No 3100 (1650), San Martín, Pcia de Buenos Aires (Argentina); Ponce, Silvia [Universidad de Lima, Av. Javier Prado Este s/n, Monterrico, Lima 33, Perú (Peru); Bilmes, Sara A. [DQIAQF-INQUIMAE, FCEyN-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, 1428 Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2013-08-15

Spray pyrolysis (SP) and spray-gel (SG) techniques were used to deposit ZnO seeds on Fluor doped tin oxide glasses (FTO), heated at 350 °C or 130 °C, and PET heated at 90 °C. The effect of seeding on the morphology and wettability of ZnO nanorods (NRs) films grown by wet chemical methods was analyzed. The morphology and wettability of ZnO NRs films depend on the seeding process. SP seeds formed from zinc acetate dissolved in water ethanol mixtures yield vertically aligned ZnO NRs, whose diameters and dispersion size are determined by the ethanol/water ratio in the precursor solution. SG seeds formed from a methanol ZnO sol produce a ring patterned distribution on the FTO substrate. The drying of ZnO sol drops impinging on the substrate produces high density of seeds along a ring yielding textured films with NRs vertically oriented on the rings and multi-oriented outside them. This effect was not observed when ZnO NRs grown onto the ZnO/PET substrate, however rod diameter is related with the density of seeds. This way to control the density and diameter of NRs deposited onto a substrate modify the wettability and opens new possibilities for the design of tailored nanomaterials for photochemical applications. Both type of NRs films showed a strong luminescence emission in the UV and in the blue, associated with surface and intrinsic defects.

Nonenzymetic glucose sensing using carbon functionalized carbon doped ZnO nanorod arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Pinak; Majumder, Tanmoy; Dhar, Saurab; Mondal, Suvra Prakash

2018-04-01

Fabrication of highly sensitive, long stability and low cost glucose sensors are attractive for biomedical applications and food industries. Most of the commercial glucose sensors are based on enzymatic detection which suffers from problems underlying in enzyme activities. Development of high sensitive, enzyme free sensors is a great challenge for next generation glucose sensing applications. In our study Zinc oxide nanorod sensing electrodes have been grown using low cost hydrothermal route and their nonenzymatic glucose sensing properties have been demonstrated with carbon functionalized, carbon doped ZnO nanorods (C-ZnO NRs) in neutral medium (0.1M PBS, pH 7.4) using cyclic voltammetry and amperometry measurements. The C-ZnO NRs electrodes demonstrated glucose sensitivity˜ 13.66 µAmM-1cm-2 in the concentration range 0.7 - 14 mM.

Low Temperature Hydrothermal Growth of ZnO Nanorod Films for Schottky Diode Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Shaivalini; Park, Si-Hyun

2016-01-01

The purpose of this research is to report on the fabrication and characterizations of Pd/ZnO nanorod-based Schottky diodes for optoelectronic applications. ZnO nanorods (NRs) were grown on silicon (Si) substrates by a two step hydrothermal method. In the first step, a seed layer of pure ZnO was deposited from a solution of zinc acetate and ethyl alcohol, and then in the second step, the main growth of the ZnO NRs was done over the seed layer. The structural morphology and optical properties of the ZnO NR films were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The electrical characterization of the Pd/ZnO NR contacts was studied using a current-voltage (I-V) tool. The ZnO NR films exhibited a wurtzite ZnO structure,and the average length of the ZnO NRs were in the range of 750 nm to 800 nm. The values of ideality factor, turn-on voltage and reverse saturation current were calculated from the I-V characteristics of Pd/ZnO NR-based Schottky diodes. The study demonstrates that Pd/ZnO NR Schottky contacts fabricated by a simple and inexpensive method can be used as a substitute for conventional Schottky diodes for optoelectronic applications.

Efficiency Enhancement of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells’ Performance with ZnO Nanorods Grown by Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Reaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fang-I Lai

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, aligned zinc oxide (ZnO nanorods (NRs with various lengths (1.5–5 µm were deposited on ZnO:Al (AZO-coated glass substrates by using a solution phase deposition method; these NRs were prepared for application as working electrodes to increase the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of solar cells. The results were observed in detail by using X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, UV-visible spectrophotometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, incident photo-to-current conversion efficiency, and solar simulation. The results indicated that when the lengths of the ZnO NRs increased, the adsorption of D-719 dyes through the ZnO NRs increased along with enhancing the short-circuit photocurrent and open-circuit voltage of the cell. An optimal power conversion efficiency of 0.64% was obtained in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC containing the ZnO NR with a length of 5 µm. The objective of this study was to facilitate the development of a ZnO-based DSSC.

Optical and structural properties of ZnO nanorods grown on graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide film by hydrothermal method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alver, U., E-mail: alver@ksu.edu.tr [Department of Physics, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, K. Maras 46100 (Turkey); Zhou, W.; Belay, A.B. [Nanoscience and Technology Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816 (United States); Florida Solar Energy Center, Cocoa, FL 32922 (United States); Krueger, R. [Nanoscience and Technology Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816 (United States); Davis, K.O.; Hickman, N.S. [Nanoscience and Technology Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816 (United States); Florida Solar Energy Center, Cocoa, FL 32922 (United States)

2012-01-15

ZnO nanorods were grown on graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) films with seed layers by using simple hydrothermal method. The GO films were deposited by spray coating and then annealed at 400 Degree-Sign C in argon atmosphere to obtain RGO films. The optical and structural properties of the ZnO nanorods were systematically studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The XRD patterns and SEM images show that without a seed layer, no ZnO nanorod deposition occurs on GO or RGO films. Transmittance of ZnO nanorods grown on RGO films was measured to be approximately 83% at 550 nm. Furthermore, while transmittance of RGO films increases with ZnO nanorod deposition, transmittance of GO decreases.

Nonenzymatic flexible field-effect transistor based glucose sensor fabricated using NiO quantum dots modified ZnO nanorods.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Da-Un-Jin; Ahmad, Rafiq; Hahn, Yoon-Bong

2018-02-15

Herein, we fabricated nonenzymatic flexible field-effect transistor (f-FET) based glucose sensor using nickel oxide quantum dots (NiO QDs) modified zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs). The ZnO NRs surfaces were coated with NiO QDs using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering to enhance the electrocatalytic feature and the surface area of ZnO NRs. Under physiological conditions (pH 7.4), the nonenzymatic f-FET glucose sensor shows two linear ranges of 0.001-10mM and 10-50mM with the high sensitivity of 13.14μAcm -2 mM -1 and 7.31μAcm -2 mM -1 , respectively, along with good selectivity, stability and repeatability during glucose detection. The examination of human whole blood and serum samples reveal that the nonenzymatic f-FET based glucose sensor is capable of measuring glucose concentration efficiently in the presence of interfering species and thus can be offered as a promising device for further applications in clinical and non-clinical fields. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improving ultraviolet photodetection of ZnO nanorods by Cr doped ZnO encapsulation process

Science.gov (United States)

Safa, S.; Mokhtari, S.; Khayatian, A.; Azimirad, R.

2018-04-01

Encapsulated ZnO nanorods (NRs) with different Cr concentration (0-4.5 at.%) were prepared in two different steps. First, ZnO NRs were grown by hydrothermal method. Then, they were encapsulated by dip coating method. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectrophotometer analyses. XRD analysis proved that Cr incorporated into the ZnO structure successfully. Based on optical analysis, band gap changes in the range of 2.74-3.84 eV. Finally, UV responses of all samples were deeply investigated. It revealed 0.5 at.% Cr doped sample had the most photocurrent (0.75 mA) and photoresponsivity (0.8 A/W) of all which were about three times greater than photocurrent and photoresponsivity of the undoped sample.

Shape-dependent plasma-catalytic activity of ZnO nanomaterials coated on porous ceramic membrane for oxidation of butane.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanjeeva Gandhi, M; Mok, Young Sun

2014-12-01

In order to explore the effects of the shape of ZnO nanomaterials on the plasma-catalytic decomposition of butane and the distribution of byproducts, three types of ZnO nanomaterials (nanoparticles (NPs), nanorods (NRs) and nanowires (NWs)) were prepared and coated on multi-channel porous alumina ceramic membrane. The structures and morphologies of the nanomaterials were confirmed by X-ray diffraction method and scanning electron microscopy. The observed catalytic activity of ZnO in the oxidative decomposition of butane was strongly shape-dependent. It was found that the ZnO NWs exhibited higher catalytic activity than the other nanomaterials and could completely oxidize butane into carbon oxides (COx). When using the bare or ZnO NPs-coated ceramic membrane, several unwanted partial oxidation and decomposition products like acetaldehyde, acetylene, methane and propane were identified during the decomposition of butane. When the ZnO NWs- or ZnO NRs-coated membrane was used, however, the formation of such unwanted byproducts except methane was completely avoided, and full conversion into COx was achieved. Better carbon balance and COx selectivity were obtained with the ZnO NWs and NRs than with the NPs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intrinsic white-light emission from zinc oxide nanorods heterojunctions on large-area substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Willander, Magnus; Nur, O.; Zaman, S.; Zainelabdin, A.; Amin, G.; Sadaf, J. R.; Israr, M. Q.; Bano, N.; Hussain, I.; Alvi, N. H.

2011-02-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and especially in the nanostructure form is currently being intensively investigated world wide for the possibility of developing different new photonic devices. We will here present our recent findings on the controlled low temperature chemical growth of ZnO nanorods (NRs) on different large area substrates. Many different heterojunctions of ZnO NRs and p-substrates including those of crystalline e.g. p-GaN, p-SiC or amorphous nature e.g. p-polymer coated plastic and p-polymer coated paper will be shown. Moreover, the effect of the p-electrode of these heterojunctions on tuning the emitted wavelength and changing the light quality will be discussed. An example using ZnO NR/p-GaN will be shown and the electrical and electro-optical characteristics will be analyzed. For these heterojunctions the effect of post growth annealing and its effect on the electroluminescence (EL) spectrum will be shown. Finally, intrinsic white light emitting diodes based on ZnO NRs on foldable and disposable amorphous substrates (plastic and paper) will also be presented.

A study of the effects of aligned vertically growth time on ZnO nanorods deposited for the first time on Teflon substrate

Science.gov (United States)

Farhat, O. F.; Halim, M. M.; Ahmed, Naser M.; Oglat, Ammar A.; Abuelsamen, A. A.; Bououdina, M.; Qaeed, M. A.

2017-12-01

In this study, ZnO nanorods (NRs) were well deposited on Teflon substrates (PTFE) via a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method at low temperature. The consequences of growth time (1 h-4 h) on the structural and optical properties of the aligned ZnO (NRs) were investigated through X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and photoluminescence (PL) analyses. The results show that the ZnO (NRs) were preferred to grew aligned along the c-axis as hexagonal wurtzite structure as proved by the sharp and strong ZnO (002) peaks of the ZnO (NRs). Irrespective of the growth continuation, FESEM photos confirmed that the ZnO nanorods arrays were fit to be aligned along the c-axis and perpendicular to (PTFE) substrates. The ZnO nanorods that exhibited the sharper stand most intense PL peaks among the sample were grown for 3hs as demonstrated by PL spectra. The device further showed a sensitivity of 4068 to low-power (1.25 mW/cm2) 375 nm light pulses without an external bias. The measurements of photoresponse demonstrated the highly reproducible characteristics of the fabricated UV detector with rapid response and baseline recovery times of 48.05 ms. Thus, this work introduced a simple, low-cost method of fabricating rapid-response, and highly photosensitive UV detectors with zero power consumption on Teflon substrates.

Structural Properties of Zinc Oxide Nanorods Grown on Al-Doped Zinc Oxide Seed Layer and Their Applications in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyung Ho Kim

2014-03-01

Full Text Available We fabricated zinc oxide (ZnO nanorods (NRs with Al-doped ZnO (AZO seed layers and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs employed the ZnO NRs between a TiO2 photoelectrode and a fluorine-doped SnO2 (FTO electrode. The growth rate of the NRs was strongly dependent on the seed layer conditions, i.e., thickness, Al dopant and annealing temperature. Attaining a large particle size with a high crystallinity of the seed layer was vital to the well-aligned growth of the NRs. However, the growth was less related to the substrate material (glass and FTO coated glass. With optimized ZnO NRs, the DSSCs exhibited remarkably enhanced photovoltaic performance, because of the increase of dye absorption and fast carrier transfer, which, in turn, led to improved efficiency. The cell with the ZnO NRs grown on an AZO seed layer annealed at 350 °C showed a short-circuit current density (JSC of 12.56 mA/cm2, an open-circuit voltage (VOC of 0.70 V, a fill factor (FF of 0.59 and a power conversion efficiency (PCE, η of 5.20% under air mass 1.5 global (AM 1.5G illumination of 100 mW/cm2.

Polyaniline hybridized surface defective ZnO nanorods with long-term stable photoelectrochemical activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bera, Susanta; Khan, Hasmat; Biswas, Indranil; Jana, Sunirmal

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Polyaniline (PANI) hybridized ZnO nanorods was synthesized by solution method. • Surface defects were found in the nanorods. • The hybrid material exhibited an enhancement in visible light absorption. • A long-term stable photoelectrochemical activity of the material was found. • Advancement in the properties would be PANI hybridization and surface defects. - Abstract: We report surfactant/template free precursor solution based synthesis of polyaniline (PANI) hybridized surface defective ZnO nanorods by a two-step process. Initially, ZnO nanorods have been prepared at 95 °C, followed by hybridization (coating) of PANI onto the ZnO via in situ polymerization of aniline monomer, forming ZnO-PANI nanohybrid (ZP). The structural properties of ZP have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies. The presence of surface defects especially the oxygen vacancies in ZnO has been characterized by photoluminescence emission, high resolution TEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and micro-Raman spectral measurements. The chemical interaction of PANI with ZnO has been examined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and XPS analyses. A significant enhancement in visible absorption of ZP sample is found as evidenced from UV–vis diffused reflectance spectral study. BET nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm shows an improved textural property (pore size, pore volume) of ZP. Moreover, a long-term stable photoelectrochemical activity (PEC) of ZP is found compare to pristine ZnO. The synergic effect of PANI hybridization and the presence of surface defects in ZnO NRs can enhance the PEC by prolonging the recombination rate of photogenerated charge carriers. The effect can also provide large number of active sites to make electrolyte diffusion and mass transportation easier in the nanohybrid. This simple synthesis strategy can be adopted for PANI hybridization with different metal oxide semiconductors

Polyaniline hybridized surface defective ZnO nanorods with long-term stable photoelectrochemical activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bera, Susanta; Khan, Hasmat [Sol-Gel Division, CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI), 196 Raja S.C. Mullick Road, P.O. Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700 032, West Bengal (India); Biswas, Indranil [Materials Characterization and Instrumentation Division, CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI), 196 Raja S.C. Mullick Road, P.O. Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700 032, West Bengal (India); Jana, Sunirmal, E-mail: sjana@cgcri.res.in [Sol-Gel Division, CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI), 196 Raja S.C. Mullick Road, P.O. Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700 032, West Bengal (India)

2016-10-15

Highlights: • Polyaniline (PANI) hybridized ZnO nanorods was synthesized by solution method. • Surface defects were found in the nanorods. • The hybrid material exhibited an enhancement in visible light absorption. • A long-term stable photoelectrochemical activity of the material was found. • Advancement in the properties would be PANI hybridization and surface defects. - Abstract: We report surfactant/template free precursor solution based synthesis of polyaniline (PANI) hybridized surface defective ZnO nanorods by a two-step process. Initially, ZnO nanorods have been prepared at 95 °C, followed by hybridization (coating) of PANI onto the ZnO via in situ polymerization of aniline monomer, forming ZnO-PANI nanohybrid (ZP). The structural properties of ZP have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies. The presence of surface defects especially the oxygen vacancies in ZnO has been characterized by photoluminescence emission, high resolution TEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and micro-Raman spectral measurements. The chemical interaction of PANI with ZnO has been examined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and XPS analyses. A significant enhancement in visible absorption of ZP sample is found as evidenced from UV–vis diffused reflectance spectral study. BET nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm shows an improved textural property (pore size, pore volume) of ZP. Moreover, a long-term stable photoelectrochemical activity (PEC) of ZP is found compare to pristine ZnO. The synergic effect of PANI hybridization and the presence of surface defects in ZnO NRs can enhance the PEC by prolonging the recombination rate of photogenerated charge carriers. The effect can also provide large number of active sites to make electrolyte diffusion and mass transportation easier in the nanohybrid. This simple synthesis strategy can be adopted for PANI hybridization with different metal oxide semiconductors

Growth of hybrid carbon nanostructures on iron-decorated ZnO nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Mbuyisa, Puleng N.; Rigoni, Federica; Sangaletti, Luigi; Ponzoni, Stefano; Pagliara, Stefania; Goldoni, Andrea; Ndwandwe, Muzi; Cepek, Cinzia

2016-04-01

A novel carbon-based nanostructured material, which includes carbon nanotubes (CNTs), porous carbon, nanostructured ZnO and Fe nanoparticles, has been synthetized using catalytic chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of acetylene on vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (NRs). The deposition of Fe before the CVD process induces the presence of dense CNTs in addition to the variety of nanostructures already observed on the process done on the bare NRs, which range from amorphous graphitic carbon up to nanostructured dendritic carbon films, where the NRs are partially or completely etched. The combination of scanning electron microscopy and in situ photoemission spectroscopy indicate that Fe enhances the ZnO etching, and that the CNT synthesis is favoured by the reduced Fe mobility due to the strong interaction between Fe and the NRs, and to the presence of many defects, formed during the CVD process. Our results demonstrate that the resulting new hybrid shows a higher sensitivity to ammonia gas at ambient conditions (∼60 ppb) than the carbon nanostructures obtained without the aid of Fe, the bare ZnO NRs, or other one-dimensional carbon nanostructures, making this system of potential interest for environmental ammonia monitoring. Finally, in view of the possible application in nanoscale optoelectronics, the photoexcited carrier behaviour in these hybrid systems has been characterized by time-resolved reflectivity measurements.

Optical and structural properties of Mn-doped ZnO nanorods grown by aqueous chemical growth for spintronic applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Strelchuk, V.V. [V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 45 Nauky pr., 03028 Kyiv (Ukraine); Nikolenko, A.S., E-mail: nikolenko_mail@ukr.net [V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 45 Nauky pr., 03028 Kyiv (Ukraine); Kolomys, O.F.; Rarata, S.V.; Avramenko, K.A.; Lytvyn, P.M. [V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 45 Nauky pr., 03028 Kyiv (Ukraine); Tronc, P. [Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Ecole Superieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris (France); Chey, Chan Oeurn; Nur, Omer; Willander, Magnus [Department of Science and Technology, Linköping University, 601 74 Norrköping (Sweden)

2016-02-29

The effect of Mn-doping on the structural, morphological, optical and magnetic properties of the ZnO:Mn nanorods (NRs) synthesized by aqueous chemical process is reported. Grown ZnO:Mn NRs are shown to have hexagonal end facets and the diameters increasing with nominal Mn content. Optical absorption measurements show a decrease in optical band gap with increase of Mn concentration. Raman spectroscopy revealed significant modification of the lattice vibrational properties of the ZnO matrix upon Mn doping. The additional Mn-related vibrational mode, intensity of which increases with amount of Mn can be regarded as an evidence of Mn incorporation into the host lattice of the ZnO. At high Mn concentrations, coexistence of hexagonal Zn{sub 1−x}Mn{sub x}O phase along with the secondary phases of ZnMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} cubic spinel is revealed. Magnetic properties of ZnO:Mn NRs are studied by combinatorial atomic force microscopy and magnetic force microscopy imaging, and obtained clear magnetic contrast at room temperature provides a strong evidence of ferromagnetic behavior. - Highlights: • Synthesis of Mn-doped ZnO nanorods by hydrothermal method is demonstrated. • Doping with Mn significantly changes the morphology of ZnO nanorods. • Additional Mn-induced Raman modes evidence incorporation of Mn into ZnO matrix. • Formation of secondary ZnMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} spinel phase is found at high Mn concentrations. • Contrast MFM images of ZnO:Mn nanorods indicate ferromagnetism at room temperature.

Electroluminescence and rectifying properties of heterojunction LEDs based on ZnO nanorods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rout, Chandra Sekhar; Rao, C N R

2008-01-01

n-ZnO NR/p-Si and n-ZnO NR/p-PEDOT/PSS heterojunction light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been fabricated with ZnO nanorods (NRs) grown by a low-temperature method as well as by employing pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The low-temperature method involves growing the ZnO nanorods by the reaction of water with zinc metal. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the heterojunctions show good rectifying diode characteristics. The electroluminescence (EL) spectra of the nanorods show an emission band at around 390 nm and defect related bands in the 400-550 nm region. Room-temperature electroluminescence is detected under forward bias for both the heterostructures. With the low-temperature grown nanorods, the defect related bands in the 400-550 nm range are more intense in the EL spectra, whereas with the PLD grown nanorods, only the 390 nm band is prominent

Influence of the spray pyrolysis seeding and growth parameters on the structure and optical properties of ZnO nanorod arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodríguez, Juan, E-mail: jrodriguez@uni.edu.pe [Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, P.O. Box 31-139, Lima 31 (Peru); Feuillet, Guy [CEA Grenoble/LETI, 17 rue des Martyrs, F-38054 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France); Donatini, Fabrice [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inst NEEL, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CNRS, Inst NEEL, F-38042 Grenoble (France); Onna, Diego [DQIAQF-INQUIMAE, FCEyN-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, 1428 Buenos Aires (Argentina); Sanchez, Luis [Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, P.O. Box 31-139, Lima 31 (Peru); Candal, Roberto [DQIAQF-INQUIMAE, FCEyN-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, 1428 Buenos Aires (Argentina); ECyT, 3iA, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Martín de Irigoyen N° 3100 (1650), San Martín, Pcia de Buenos Aires (Argentina); Marchi, M. Claudia [DQIAQF-INQUIMAE, FCEyN-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, 1428 Buenos Aires (Argentina); CMA, FCEyN-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. I, 1428 Buenos Aires (Argentina); Bilmes, Sara A. [DQIAQF-INQUIMAE, FCEyN-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, 1428 Buenos Aires (Argentina); Chandezon, Frédéric [University Grenoble Alpes, INAC-SPRAM, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CNRS, INAC-SPRAM, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CEA, INAC-SPRAM, F-38000 Grenoble (France)

2015-02-01

ZnO nanorods (NRs) were grown on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates at low temperatures (90 °C) from Zn{sup 2+} precursors in alkaline media previously seeded with ZnO nanoparticles. These were deposited onto the FTO substrate heated at 350 °C by spray pyrolysis of a Zn acetate solution in a water ethanol mixture. The structure of seeds was tuned by the ethanol to water ratio, Γ, which controls the solvent evaporation rate of drops impinging the substrate. From a detailed characterization using a combination of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV–visible absorption and cathodoluminescence spectroscopies, the dependence of the morphology and optical properties of the ZnO NRs on the seeding conditions was demonstrated. NRs grown on seeds deposited from solutions with Γ in the 0.03–0.06 range – i.e. when the surface excess of ethanol in the water–ethanol mixture has a maximum – show thinner average diameters and stacking faults due to the presence of zinc blende domains embedded into an overall wurtzite NR. They furthermore exhibit blue-shifted near band edge emission peak and a high deep level emission in cathodoluminescence. All these findings support the use of spray pyrolysis as a simple and reproducible way to control the seeds deposition, influencing the growth, the structure and the optical properties of the final ZnO NRs. - Highlights: • ZnO pyrolytic seeds tuned by the rate of solvent evaporation. • ZnO NRs grown from tuned pyrolytic seed's structure shows diameter dependence. • ZnO NRs show stacking faults due to the presence of zinc blende domains.

Enhancement of UV photodetector properties of ZnO nanorods/PEDOT:PSS Schottky junction by NGQD sensitization along with conductivity improvement of PEDOT:PSS by DMSO additive

Science.gov (United States)

Dhar, Saurab; Majumder, Tanmoy; Chakraborty, Pinak; Mondal, Suvra Prakash

2018-04-01

Schottky junction ultraviolet (UV) photodetector was fabricated by spin coating a hole conducting polymer, poly 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene: polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) on hydrothermally grown zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays. The UV detector performance was significantly improved two step process. Firstly, ZnO nanorods were modified by sensitizing N doped grapheme quantum dots (NGQDs) for better photoresponce behavior. Afterwards, the junction properties as well as photoresponse was enhanced by modifying electrical conductivity of PEDOT:PSS layer with organic solvent (DMSO). Our NGQD decorated ZnO NRs/DMSO-PEDOT:PSS Schottky junction device demonstrated superior external quantum efficiency (EQE ˜ 90063 %) and responsivity (Rλ˜247 A/W) at 340 nm wavelength and -1V external bias. The response and recovery times of the final photodetector device was very fast compared to GQD as well as NGQD modified and pristine ZnO nanorod based detectors.

Hydrodynamic fabrication of structurally gradient ZnO nanorods.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyung Min; Youn, Jae Ryoun; Song, Young Seok

2016-02-26

We studied a new approach where structurally gradient nanostructures were fabricated by means of hydrodynamics. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were synthesized in a drag-driven rotational flow in a controlled manner. The structural characteristics of nanorods such as orientation and diameter were determined by momentum and mass transfer at the substrate surface. The nucleation of ZnO was induced by shear stress which plays a key role in determining the orientation of ZnO nanorods. The nucleation and growth of such nanostructures were modeled theoretically and analyzed numerically to understand the underlying physics of the fabrication of nanostructures controlled by hydrodynamics. The findings demonstrated that the precise control of momentum and mass transfer enabled the formation of ZnO nanorods with a structural gradient in diameter and orientation.

Vertically grown zinc oxide nanorods functionalized with ferric oxide for in vivo and non-enzymatic glucose detection

Science.gov (United States)

Marie, Mohammed; Manoharan, Anishkumar; Kuchuk, Andrian; Ang, Simon; Manasreh, M. O.

2018-03-01

An enzyme-free glucose sensor based on vertically grown zinc oxide nanorods (NRs) functionalized with ferric oxide (Fe2O3) is investigated. The well-aligned and high density ZnO NRs were synthesized on an FTO/glass substrate by a sol-gel and hydrothermal growth method. A dip-coating technique was utilized to modify the surface of the as-grown ZnO NRs with Fe2O3. The immobilized surface was coated with a layer of nafion membrane. The fabricated glucose sensor was characterized amperometrically at room temperature using three electrodes stationed in the phosphate buffer solution, where ZnO NRs/Fe2O3/nafion membrane was the sensing or working electrode, and platinum plate and silver/silver chloride were used as the counter and reference electrodes, respectively. The proposed non-enzymatic and modified glucose sensor exhibited a high sensitivity in the order of 0.052 μA cm-2 (mg/dL)-1, a lower detection limit of around 0.95 mmol L-1, a sharp and fast response time of ˜1 s, and a linear response to changes in glucose concentrations from 100-400 mg dL-1. The linear amperometric response of the sensor covers the physiological and clinical interest of glucose levels for diabetic patients. The device continues to function accurately after multiple measurements with a good reproducibility. The proposed glucose sensor is expected to be used clinically for in vivo monitoring of glucose.

Influence of ZnO seed layer precursor molar ratio on the density of interface defects in low temperature aqueous chemically synthesized ZnO nanorods/GaN light-emitting diodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alnoor, Hatim, E-mail: hatim.alnoor@liu.se; Iandolo, Donata; Willander, Magnus; Nur, Omer [Department of Science and Technology (ITN), Linköping University, SE-601 74 Norrköping (Sweden); Pozina, Galia; Khranovskyy, Volodymyr; Liu, Xianjie [Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, SE-583 81 Linköping (Sweden)

2016-04-28

Low temperature aqueous chemical synthesis (LT-ACS) of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) has been attracting considerable research interest due to its great potential in the development of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The influence of the molar ratio of the zinc acetate (ZnAc): KOH as a ZnO seed layer precursor on the density of interface defects and hence the presence of non-radiative recombination centers in LT-ACS of ZnO NRs/GaN LEDs has been systematically investigated. The material quality of the as-prepared seed layer as quantitatively deduced by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is found to be influenced by the molar ratio. It is revealed by spatially resolved cathodoluminescence that the seed layer molar ratio plays a significant role in the formation and the density of defects at the n-ZnO NRs/p-GaN heterostructure interface. Consequently, LED devices processed using ZnO NRs synthesized with molar ratio of 1:5 M exhibit stronger yellow emission (∼575 nm) compared to those based on 1:1 and 1:3 M ratios as measured by the electroluminescence. Furthermore, seed layer molar ratio shows a quantitative dependence of the non-radiative defect densities as deduced from light-output current characteristics analysis. These results have implications on the development of high-efficiency ZnO-based LEDs and may also be helpful in understanding the effects of the ZnO seed layer on defect-related non-radiative recombination.

Synthesis and characterization of ZnO and Ni doped ZnO nanorods by thermal decomposition method for spintronics application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saravanan, R.; Santhi, Kalavathy; Sivakumar, N.; Narayanan, V.; Stephen, A.

2012-01-01

Zinc oxide nanorods and diluted magnetic semiconducting Ni doped ZnO nanorods were prepared by thermal decomposition method. This method is simple and cost effective. The decomposition temperature of acetate and formation of oxide were determined by TGA before the actual synthesis process. The X-ray diffraction result indicates the single phase hexagonal structure of zinc oxide. The transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images show rod like structure of ZnO and Ni doped ZnO samples with the diameter ∼ 35 nm and the length in few micrometers. The surface analysis was performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies. The Ni doped ZnO exhibits room temperature ferromagnetism. This diluted magnetic semiconducting Ni doped ZnO nanorods finds its application in spintronics. - Highlights: ► The method used is very simple and cost effective compared to all other methods for the preparation DMS materials. ► ZnO and Ni doped ZnO nanorods ► Ferromagnetism at room temperature

Enhanced piezoelectric output voltage and Ohmic behavior in Cr-doped ZnO nanorods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinha, Nidhi; Ray, Geeta; Godara, Sanjay; Gupta, Manoj K.; Kumar, Binay

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Low cost highly crystalline Cr-doped ZnO nanorods were synthesized. • Enhancement in dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties were observed. • A high output voltage was obtained in AFM. • Cr-doping resulted in enhanced conductivity and better Ohmic behavior in ZnO/Ag contact. - Abstract: Highly crystalline Cr-doped ZnO nanorods (NRs) were synthesized by solution technique. The size distribution was analyzed by high resolution tunneling electron microscope (HRTEM) and particle size analyzer. In atomic force microscope (AFM) studies, peak to peak 8 mV output voltage was obtained on the application of constant normal force of 25 nN. It showed high dielectric constant (980) with phase transition at 69 °C. Polarization vs. electric field (P–E) loops with remnant polarization (6.18 μC/cm 2 ) and coercive field (0.96 kV/cm) were obtained. In I–V studies, Cr-doping was found to reduce the rectifying behavior in the Ag/ZnO Schottky contact which is useful for field effect transistor (FET) and solar cell applications. With these excellent properties, Cr-doped ZnO NRs can be used in nanopiezoelectronics, charge storage and ferroelectric applications

Influence of Irradiation Time on Structural, Morphological Properties of ZnO-NRs Films Deposited by MW-CBD and Their Photodiode Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saliha Ilican

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Microwave-assisted chemical bath deposition (MW-CBD was used to deposit zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO-NRs films by using different microwave irradiation time. The films exhibit a good crystallinity having a hexagonal wurtzite phase formation. Although the dominant preferred orientation was not observed for the ZnO-5 and ZnO-10, ZnO-8 showed (002 preferred orientation. The emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM showed almost randomly oriented hexagonal nanorods on the surface. A slight decrease in the length of the observed hexagonal nanorods due to the increase in the irradiation time was observed, changing from 550 nm to 300 nm. The p-Si/n-ZnO-NRs heterojunction photodiodes were fabricated. The current-voltage characteristics of these photodiodes were investigated under dark and different illumination intensity. An increase in the reverse current with increasing illumination intensity confirmed that the fabricated photodiodes exhibited a photoconducting behavior. In addition, the barrier height and series resistance values of the photodiodes were determined from capacitance-voltage measurements.

Spatially Correlated, Single Nanomaterial-Level Structural and Optical Profiling of Cu-Doped ZnO Nanorods Synthesized via Multifunctional Silicides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johnson Truong

2018-04-01

Full Text Available We demonstrate a straightforward and effective method to synthesize vertically oriented, Cu-doped ZnO nanorods (NRs using a novel multipurpose platform of copper silicide nanoblocks (Cu3Si NBs preformed laterally in well-defined directions on Si. The use of the surface-organized Cu3Si NBs for ZnO NR growth successfully results in densely assembled Cu-doped ZnO NRs on each NB platform, whose overall structures resemble thick bristles on a brush head. We show that Cu3Si NBs can uniquely serve as a catalyst for ZnO NRs, a local dopant source of Cu, and a prepatterned guide to aid the local assembly of the NRs on the growth substrate. We also ascertain the crystalline structures, optical properties, and spectroscopic signatures of the Cu-doped ZnO NRs produced on the NBs, both at each module of NRs/NB and at their ensemble level. Subsequently, we determine their augmented properties relative to the pristine form of undoped ZnO NRs and the source material of Cu3Si NBs. We provide spatially correlated structural and optical data for individual modules of Cu-doped ZnO NRs assembled on a Cu3Si NB by resolving them along the different positions on the NB. Ensemble-averaged versus individual behaviors of Cu-doped ZnO NRs on Cu3Si NBs are then compared. We further discuss the potential impact of such ZnO-derived NRs on their relatively unexplored biological and biomedical applications. Our efforts will be particularly useful when exploiting each integrated module of self-aligned, Cu-doped ZnO NRs on a NB as a discretely addressable, active element in solid-state sensors and miniaturized luminescent bioprobes.

H2O2 sensing using HRP modified catalyst-free ZnO nanorods synthesized by RF sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Amit; Kumar, Naresh; Singh, Priti; Singh, Sunil Kumar

2017-06-01

Catalyst-free ( 00 l) oriented ZnO nanorods (NRs) -based biosensor for the H2O2 sensing has been reported. The (002) oriented ZnO NRs as confirmed by X-ray diffraction were successfully grown on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrate by radio frequency (RF) sputtering technique without using any catalyst. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme was immobilized on ZnO NRs by physical adsorption technique to prepare the biosensor. In this HRP/ZnO NR/ITO bioelectrode, nafion solution was added to form a tight membrane on surface. The prepared bioelectrode has been used for biosensing measurements by electrochemical analyzer. The electrochemical studies reveal that the prepared HRP/ZnO NR/ITO biosensor is highly sensitive to the detection of H2O2 over a linear range of 0.250-10 μM. The ZnO NR-based biosensor showed lower value of detection limit (0.125 μM) and higher sensitivity (13.40 µA/µM cm2) towards H2O2. The observed value of higher sensitivity attributed to larger surface area of ZnO nanostructure for effective loading of HRP besides its high electron communication capability. In addition, the biosensor also shows lower value of enzyme's kinetic parameter (Michaelis-Menten constant, K m) of 0.262 μM which indicates enhanced enzyme affinity of HRP to H2O2. The reported biosensor may be useful for various applications in biosensing, clinical, food, and beverage industry.

Annealing effects of ZnO nanorods on dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, Jooyoung; Lee, Juneyoung [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemoon-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Sangwoo, E-mail: swlim@yonsei.ac.k [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemoon-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-06-01

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated using ZnO nanorod arrays vertically grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass using a low-temperature hydrothermal method. When the ZnO seed layer was annealed, greater DSSC efficiency was obtained. This may be attributed to the improvement of adhesion between the FTO and the seed layer and the corresponding effective growth of the ZnO nanorods. The DSSCs fabricated using ZnO nanorods which underwent annealing were more efficient than those that did not undergo annealing. The ZnO nanorods which were annealed in N{sub 2}/H{sub 2} or O{sub 2} had increased dye loadings due to higher OH concentrations on the hydrophilic surface, which contributed to the improved DSSC efficiency. The fill factor increased after the annealing of the ZnO nanorods, potentially due to the improved crystallinity of the ZnO nanorods. In this study, annealing of both the seed layer and the ZnO nanorods resulted in the greatest DSSC efficiency.

Electrical characterization of ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schlenker, E.; Bakin, A.; Postels, B.; Mofor, A.C.; Wehmann, H.H.; Waag, A. [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Weimann, T.; Hinze, P. [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig (Germany)

2007-05-15

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were grown by a wet chemical approach and by vapor phase transport. To explore the electrical properties of individual nanostructures current-voltage (I-V) characteristics were obtained by using an atomic force microscope (AFM) with a conductive tip or by detaching the nanorods from the growth substrate, transferring them to an isolating substrate and contacting them with evaporated Ti/Au electrodes patterned by electron-beam lithography. The AFM-approach only yields a Schottky diode behavior, while the Ti/Au forms ohmic contacts to the ZnO. For the latter method the obtained I-V curves reveal a resistivity of the nanorods in the order of 10{sup -5} {omega} cm which is unusually low for undoped ZnO. We therefore assume the existence of a highly conductive surface channel. (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Random laser based on Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G doped poly(methyl methacrylate (PMMA films coating on ZnO nanorods synthesized by hydrothermal oxidation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hua Zhang

Full Text Available Random laser based on Rh6G doped PMMA thin films coating on ZnO nanorods synthesized by a simple hydrothermal oxidation method has been demonstrated. This kind of random laser medium is based on waveguide structure consisting of ZnO nanorods, Rh6G doped PMMA film and air. By controlling the time of hydrothermal oxidation reaction, wheat-like and hexagonal prism ZnO nanorods have been successfully fabricated. The emission spectra of these gain mediums based on different ZnO nanorods are different. The one based on wheat-like ZnO nanorods mainly exhibits amplified spontaneous emission, and the other one based on hexagonal prism ZnO nanorods shows random laser emission. The threshold of the random laser medium is about 73.8 μJ/pulse, and the full width at half maximum (FWHM is around 2.1 nm. The emission spectra measured at different detecting angles reveal that the output direction is strongly confined in ±30° by the waveguide effect. Our experiments demonstrate a promising method to achieve organic random laser medium. Keywords: Random laser, ZnO nanorods, Hydrothermal oxidation, Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G, Poly(methyl methacrylate (PMMA

Room temperature photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanorods grown by hydrothermal reaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iwan, S., E-mail: iwan-sugihartono@unj.ac.id [Jurusan Fisika, FMIPA-UNJ, Rawamangun, Jakarta (Indonesia); Prodi Ilmu Material, Departemen Fisika, FMIPA, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok (Indonesia); Fauzia, Vivi [Prodi Ilmu Material, Departemen Fisika, FMIPA, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok (Indonesia); Umar, A. A. [Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Sun, X. W. [School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue (Singapore)

2016-04-19

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were fabricated by a hydrothermal reaction on silicon (Si) substrate at 95 °C for 6 hours. The ZnO seed layer was fabricated by depositing ZnO thin films on Si substrates by ultrasonic spray pyrolisis (USP). The annealing effects on crystal structure and optical properties of ZnO nanorods were investigated. The post-annealing treatment was performed at 800 °C with different environments. The annealed of ZnO nanorods were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) in order to analyze crystal structure and optical properties, respectively. The results show the orientations of [002], [101], [102], and [103] diffraction peaks were observed and hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO nanorods were vertically grown on Si substrates. The room temperature PL spectra show ultra-violet (UV) and visible emissions. The annealed of ZnO nanorods in vacuum condition (3.8 × 10{sup −3} Torr) has dominant UV emission. Meanwhile, non-annealed of ZnO nanorods has dominant visible emission. It was expected that the annealed of ZnO in vacuum condition suppresses the existence of native defects in ZnO nanorods.

Control of ZnO Nanorod Defects to Enhance Carrier Transportation in p-Cu₂O/i-ZnO Nanorods/n-IGZO Heterojunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Ke, Nguyen Huu; Trinh, Le Thi Tuyet; Mung, Nguyen Thi; Loan, Phan Thi Kieu; Tuan, Dao Anh; Truong, Nguyen Huu; Tran, Cao Vinh; Hung, Le Vu Tuan

2017-01-01

The p-Cu₂O/i-ZnO nanorods/n-IGZO heterojunctions were fabricated by electrochemical and sputtering method. ZnO nanorods were grown on conductive indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) thin film and then p-Cu₂O layer was deposited on ZnO nanorods to form the heterojunction. ZnO nanorods play an important role in carrier transport mechanisms and performance of the junction. The changing of defects in ZnO nanorods by annealing samples in air and vacuum have studied. The XRD, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and FTIR were used to study about structure, and defects in ZnO nanorods. The SEM, i–V characteristics methods were also used to define structure, electrical properties of the heterojunctions layers. The results show that the defects in ZnO nanorods affected remarkably on performance of heterojunctions of solar cells.

Crystallinity improvement of ZnO nanorods by optimization of low-cost electrodeposition technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Özdal, Teoman, E-mail: teomanozdal@hotmail.com; Taktakoğlu, Renna; Özdamar, Havva; Esen, Mehmet; Takçı, Deniz Kadir; Kavak, Hamide

2015-10-01

Extremely low-cost electrodeposition technique was developed to deposit ZnO nanorods. The growth process was performed using standard DC power supply, milliammeter and two-electrode electrochemical cell. The deposition was carried out on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates by changing deposition parameters such as cathodic deposition current and time, solution molarity and temperature. The parameters varied to obtain optimum transparent semiconductor material for optoelectronic applications. Structural characterizations by X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicate the formation of polycrystalline phase ZnO with strong c-axis orientation and were sensitive to deposition temperatures and molarity as well. Average optical transmittance for the best two ZnO nanorod series was around 60% and 42%, respectively. The optical energy band gap of the ZnO nanorods decreased from 3.24 eV to 3.21 eV as the deposition time increased. All the nanorods were n-type with a high carrier concentration of 1 × 10{sup 20} cm{sup −3} and low 1–2 × 10{sup −3} Ωcm resistivity. - Highlights: • n-Type ZnO nanorods were electrochemically deposited employing standard DC power supply and milliammeter. • ZnO nanorods show very good polycrystalline and electrical properties consistent with the literature. • ZnO nanorod structures are hexagonal wurtzite and highly oriented along the c-axis perpendicular to the substrates. • Produced ZnO nanorod structures show good transparent conductive oxide properties.

ZnO nanorods arrays with Ag nanoparticles on the (002) plane derived by liquid epitaxy growth and electrodeposition process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin Xingtian; Que Wenxiu; Shen Fengyu

2011-01-01

Well-aligned ZnO nanorods (NRs) arrays with Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on the (002) plane are obtained by combining a liquid epitaxy technique with an electrodeposition process. Cyclic voltammetry study is employed to understand the electrochemical behaviors of the electrodeposition system, and potentiostatic method is employed to deposit silver NPs on the ZnO NRs in the electrolyte with an Ag + concentration of 1 mM. X-ray diffraction analysis is used to study the crystalline properties of the as-prepared samples, and energy dispersive X-ray is adopted to confirm the composition at the surface of the deposited samples. Results indicate only a small quantity of silver can be deposited on the surface of the samples. Effect of the deposition potential and time on the morphological properties of the resultant Ag NPs/ZnO NRs are investigated in detail. Scanning electron microscopy images and transmission electron microscopy images indicate that the Ag NPs deposited on the (002) plane of the ZnO NRs with a large dispersion in diameter can be obtained by a single potentiostatic deposition process, while dense Ag NPs with a much smaller diameter dispersion on the top of the ZnO NRs, most of which locate on the conical tip of the ZnO NRs, can be obtained by a two-potentiostatic deposition process, The mechanism of this deposition process is also suggested.

A novel fabrication methodology for sulfur-doped ZnO nanorods as an active photoanode for improved water oxidation in visible-light regime

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, A.; Ahmed, M. I.; Adam, A.; Azad, A.-M.; Qamar, M.

2017-02-01

Incorporation of foreign moiety in the lattice of semiconductors significantly alters their optoelectronic behavior and opens a plethora of new applications. In this paper, we report the synthesis of sulfur-doped zinc oxide (S-doped ZnO) nanorods by reacting ZnO nanorods with diammonium sulfide in vapor phase. Microscopic investigation revealed that the morphological features, such as, the length (2-4 μm) and width (100-250 nm) of the original hexagonal ZnO nanorods remained intact post-sulfidation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the sulfide sample confirmed the incorporation of sulfur into ZnO lattice. The optical measurements suggested the extension of absorption threshold into visible region upon sulfidation. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) activities of pure and S-doped ZnO nanorods were compared for water oxidation in visible light (λ > 420 nm), which showed several-fold increment in the performance of S-doped ZnO sample; the observed amelioration in the PEC activity was rationalized in terms of preferred visible light absorption and low resistance of sulfide sample, as evidenced by optical and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

Homogeneous vertical ZnO nanorod arrays with high conductivity on an in situ Gd nanolayer

KAUST Repository

Flemban, Tahani H.

2015-10-30

We demonstrate a novel, one-step, catalyst-free method for the production of size-controlled vertical highly conductive ZnO nanorod (NR) arrays with highly desirable characteristics by pulsed laser deposition using a Gd-doped ZnO target. Our study shows that an in situ transparent and conductive Gd nanolayer (with a uniform thickness of ∼1 nm) at the interface between a lattice-matched (11-20) a-sapphire substrate and ZnO is formed during the deposition. This nanolayer significantly induces a relaxation mechanism that controls the dislocation distribution along the growth direction; which consequently improves the formation of homogeneous vertically aligned ZnO NRs. We demonstrate that both the lattice orientation of the substrate and the Gd characteristics are important in enhancing the NR synthesis, and we report precise control of the NR density by changing the oxygen partial pressure. We show that these NRs possess high optical and electrical quality, with a mobility of 177 cm2 (V s)-1, which is comparable to the best-reported mobility of ZnO NRs. Therefore, this new and simple method has significant potential for improving the performance of materials used in a wide range of electronic and optoelectronic applications.

Oxidation dynamics of aluminum nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Ying [Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Kalia, Rajiv K.; Nakano, Aiichiro; Vashishta, Priya [Collaboratory for Advanced Computing and Simulations, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Department of Computer Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0242 (United States)

2015-02-23

Aluminum nanorods (Al-NRs) are promising fuels for pyrotechnics due to the high contact areas with oxidizers, but their oxidation mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, reactive molecular dynamics simulations are performed to study thermally initiated burning of oxide-coated Al-NRs with different diameters (D = 26, 36, and 46 nm) in oxygen environment. We found that thinner Al-NRs burn faster due to the larger surface-to-volume ratio. The reaction initiates with the dissolution of the alumina shell into the molten Al core to generate heat. This is followed by the incorporation of environmental oxygen atoms into the resulting Al-rich shell, thereby accelerating the heat release. These results reveal an unexpectedly active role of the alumina shell as a “nanoreactor” for oxidation.

Structural, optical and magnetic characterization of Ru doped ZnO nanorods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Sanjeev; Kaur, Palvinder; Chen, C.L.; Thangavel, R.; Dong, C.L.; Ho, Y.K.; Lee, J.F.; Chan, T.S.; Chen, T.K.; Mok, B.H.; Rao, S.M.; Wu, M.K.

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: Ruthenium (Ru = 0%, 1% and 2%) doped nano-crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were synthesized by using well-known sol–gel technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that Ru (0%, 1% and 2%) doped ZnO nanorods crystallized in the wurtzite structure having space group C 3v (P6 3 mc). Williamson and Hall plot reveal that in the nanoscale dimensions, incorporation of Ru induced the tensile strain in ZnO host matrix. Photoluminescence (PL) and Raman studies of Ru doped ZnO nanorods show the formation of singly ionized oxygen vacancies which may account for the observed room temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) in 2% Ru doped ZnO. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) reveals that Ru replace the Zn atoms in the host lattice and maintain the crystal symmetry with slightly lattice distortion. Highlights: • Ru doped ZnO nanorods crystallized in the wurtzite structure having space group C 3v (P6 3 mc). • PL and Raman studies show the formation of singly ionized oxygen vacancies in 2% Ru doped ZnO. • XAS reveals that Ru replace the Zn atoms in the host lattice with slightly lattice distortion. • Doping of Ru in ZnO nanostructures gives rise to RTFM ordering. -- Abstract: Ruthenium (Ru = 0%, 1% and 2%) doped nano-crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were synthesized by using well-known sol–gel technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that Ru (0%, 1% and 2%) doped ZnO nanorods crystallized in the wurtzite structure having space group C 3v (P6 3 mc). Williamson and Hall plot reveal that in the nanoscale dimensions, incorporation of Ru induced the tensile strain in ZnO host matrix. Photoluminescence (PL) and Raman studies of Ru doped ZnO nanorods show the formation of singly ionized oxygen vacancies which may account for the observed room temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) in 2% Ru doped ZnO. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) reveals that Ru replace the Zn atoms in the host lattice and maintain the crystal symmetry with slightly lattice

Photocatalytic paper using zinc oxide nanorods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baruah, Sunandan; Jaisai, Mayuree; Imani, Reza; Nazhad, Mousa M; Dutta, Joydeep

2010-01-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were grown on a paper support prepared from soft wood pulp. The photocatalytic activity of a sheet of paper with ZnO nanorods embedded in its porous matrix has been studied. ZnO nanorods were firmly attached to cellulose fibers and the photocatalytic paper samples were reused several times with nominal decrease in efficiency. Photodegradation of up to 93% was observed for methylene blue in the presence of paper filled with ZnO nanorods upon irradiation with visible light at 963 Wm -2 for 120 min. Under similar conditions, photodegradation of approximately 35% was observed for methyl orange. Antibacterial tests revealed that the photocatalytic paper inhibits the growth of Escherichia coli under room lighting conditions.

Growth and characterization of n-ZnO/p-GaN nanorods on silicon for the fabrication of heterojunction diodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guan-Hung Shen [Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Hong, Franklin Chau-Nan, E-mail: hong@mail.ncku.edu.tw [Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Center for Micro/Nano Science and Technology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); NCKU Research Center for Energy Technology and Strategy, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China)

2014-11-03

A heterojunction n-ZnO/p-GaN diode device was fabricated and characterized on Si (111) substrate. Vertically-aligned Mg-doped GaN nanorods (NRs) were grown on Si (111) by plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition. Intrinsic n-type ZnO was subsequently grown on top of p-GaN nanorods by hydrothermal method at low temperature. The effects of precursor concentrations on the morphology and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures were investigated. Various ZnO nanostructures could be synthesized to obtain different heterojunction nanostructures. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction results further verified that the GaN NRs were single crystals with the growth orientation along [0001], and the epitaxial wurtzite ZnO films were grown on GaN NRs. The n-ZnO film/p-GaN NR heterojunction diodes were thus fabricated. Diode-like rectifying behavior was actually observed with a leakage current of less than 2.0 × 10{sup −4} A at − 20 V bias, a forward current of 7.2 × 10{sup −3} A at 20 V bias, and the turn-on voltage at around 5.6 V. - Highlights: • High-quality zinc oxide layer was epitaxially grown on gallium nitride nanorods. • The morphology of zinc oxide can be controlled by varying the growth conditions. • The n-zinc oxide/p-gallium nitride diodes with rectifying behavior were fabricated.

Growth and characterization of n-ZnO/p-GaN nanorods on silicon for the fabrication of heterojunction diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guan-Hung Shen; Hong, Franklin Chau-Nan

2014-01-01

A heterojunction n-ZnO/p-GaN diode device was fabricated and characterized on Si (111) substrate. Vertically-aligned Mg-doped GaN nanorods (NRs) were grown on Si (111) by plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition. Intrinsic n-type ZnO was subsequently grown on top of p-GaN nanorods by hydrothermal method at low temperature. The effects of precursor concentrations on the morphology and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures were investigated. Various ZnO nanostructures could be synthesized to obtain different heterojunction nanostructures. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction results further verified that the GaN NRs were single crystals with the growth orientation along [0001], and the epitaxial wurtzite ZnO films were grown on GaN NRs. The n-ZnO film/p-GaN NR heterojunction diodes were thus fabricated. Diode-like rectifying behavior was actually observed with a leakage current of less than 2.0 × 10 −4 A at − 20 V bias, a forward current of 7.2 × 10 −3 A at 20 V bias, and the turn-on voltage at around 5.6 V. - Highlights: • High-quality zinc oxide layer was epitaxially grown on gallium nitride nanorods. • The morphology of zinc oxide can be controlled by varying the growth conditions. • The n-zinc oxide/p-gallium nitride diodes with rectifying behavior were fabricated

ZnO nanorod biosensor for highly sensitive detection of specific protein binding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jin Suk; Park, Won Il; Lee, Chul Ho; Yi, Gyu Chul

2006-01-01

We report on the fabrication of electrical biosensors based on functionalized ZnO nanorod surfaces with biotin for highly sensitive detection of biological molecules. Due to the clean interface and easy surface modification, the ZnO nanorod sensors can easily detect streptavidin binding down to a concentration of 25 nM, which is more sensitive than previously reported one-dimensional (1D) nanostructure electrical biosensors. In addition, the unique device structure with a micrometer-scale hole at the center of the ZnO nanorod's conducting channel reduces the leakage current from the aqueous solution, hence enhancing device sensitivity. Moreover, ZnO nanorod field-effect-transistor (FET) sensors may open up opportunities to create many other oxide nanorod electrical sensors for highly sensitive and selective real-time detection of a wide variety of biomolecules.

Zinc oxide nanorods/polymer hybrid heterojunctions for white light emitting diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Willander, M.; Nur, O.; Zaman, S.; Zainelabdin, A.; Bano, N.; Hussain, I.

2011-06-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) with its deep level defect emission covering the whole visible spectrum holds promise for the development of intrinsic white lighting sources with no need of using phosphors for light conversion. ZnO nanorods (NRs) grown on flexible plastic as substrate using a low temperature approach (down to 50 °C) were combined with different organic semiconductors to form hybrid junction. White electroluminescence (EL) was observed from these hybrid junctions. The configuration used for the hybrid white light emitting diodes (LEDs) consists of two-layers of polymers on the flexible plastic with ZnO NRs on the top. The inorganic/organic hybrid heterojunction has been fabricated by spin coating the p-type polymer poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT : PSS) for hole injection with an ionization potential of 5.1 eV and poly(9, 9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO) is used as blue emitting material with a bandgap of 3.3 eV. ZnO NRs are grown on top of the organic layers. Two other configurations were also fabricated; these are using a single MEH PPV (red-emitting polymer) instead of the PFO and the third configuration was obtained from a blend of the PFO and the MEH PPV. The white LEDs were characterized by scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction (XRD), current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, room temperature photoluminescence (PL) and EL. The EL spectrum reveals a broad emission band covering the range from 420 to 800 nm, and the emissions causing this white luminescence were identified.

Zinc oxide nanorods/polymer hybrid heterojunctions for white light emitting diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willander, M; Nur, O; Zaman, S; Zainelabdin, A; Bano, N; Hussain, I

2011-01-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) with its deep level defect emission covering the whole visible spectrum holds promise for the development of intrinsic white lighting sources with no need of using phosphors for light conversion. ZnO nanorods (NRs) grown on flexible plastic as substrate using a low temperature approach (down to 50 0 C) were combined with different organic semiconductors to form hybrid junction. White electroluminescence (EL) was observed from these hybrid junctions. The configuration used for the hybrid white light emitting diodes (LEDs) consists of two-layers of polymers on the flexible plastic with ZnO NRs on the top. The inorganic/organic hybrid heterojunction has been fabricated by spin coating the p-type polymer poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT : PSS) for hole injection with an ionization potential of 5.1 eV and poly(9, 9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO) is used as blue emitting material with a bandgap of 3.3 eV. ZnO NRs are grown on top of the organic layers. Two other configurations were also fabricated; these are using a single MEH PPV (red-emitting polymer) instead of the PFO and the third configuration was obtained from a blend of the PFO and the MEH PPV. The white LEDs were characterized by scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction (XRD), current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, room temperature photoluminescence (PL) and EL. The EL spectrum reveals a broad emission band covering the range from 420 to 800 nm, and the emissions causing this white luminescence were identified.

Au sensitized ZnO nanorods for enhanced liquefied petroleum gas sensing properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakate, U.T.; Bulakhe, R.N.; Lokhande, C.D.; Kale, S.N.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • We studied ZnO nanorods film for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sensing. • The Au sensitization on ZnO nanorods gives improved LPG sensing response. • The Au–ZnO shows 48% LPG response for 1040 ppm with fast response time of 50 S. • We proposed schematic for sensing mechanism using band diagram. - Abstract: The zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods have grown on glass substrate by spray pyrolysis deposition (SPD) method using zinc acetate solution. The phase formation, surface morphology and elemental composition of ZnO films have been investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques. The liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sensing response was remarkably improved by sensitization of gold (Au) surface noble metal on ZnO nanorods film. Maximum LPG response of 21% was observed for 1040 ppm of LPG, for pure ZnO nanorods sample. After Au sensitization on ZnO nanorods film sample, the LPG response greatly improved up to 48% at operating temperature 623 K. The improved LPG response is attributed Au sensitization with spill-over mechanism. Proposed model for LPG sensing mechanism discussed.

Au sensitized ZnO nanorods for enhanced liquefied petroleum gas sensing properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakate, U.T., E-mail: umesh.nakate@gmail.com [Department of Applied Physics, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Deemed University, Pune 411025 (India); Bulakhe, R.N.; Lokhande, C.D. [Department of Physics, Thin films Physics Laboratory, Shivaji University Kolhapur 416004 (India); Kale, S.N. [Department of Applied Physics, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Deemed University, Pune 411025 (India)

2016-05-15

Highlights: • We studied ZnO nanorods film for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sensing. • The Au sensitization on ZnO nanorods gives improved LPG sensing response. • The Au–ZnO shows 48% LPG response for 1040 ppm with fast response time of 50 S. • We proposed schematic for sensing mechanism using band diagram. - Abstract: The zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods have grown on glass substrate by spray pyrolysis deposition (SPD) method using zinc acetate solution. The phase formation, surface morphology and elemental composition of ZnO films have been investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques. The liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sensing response was remarkably improved by sensitization of gold (Au) surface noble metal on ZnO nanorods film. Maximum LPG response of 21% was observed for 1040 ppm of LPG, for pure ZnO nanorods sample. After Au sensitization on ZnO nanorods film sample, the LPG response greatly improved up to 48% at operating temperature 623 K. The improved LPG response is attributed Au sensitization with spill-over mechanism. Proposed model for LPG sensing mechanism discussed.

Electrodeposition of ZnO nanorods for device application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Postels, B.; Bakin, A.; Wehmann, H.H.; Suleiman, M.; Waag, A. [Technical University of Braunschweig, Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Braunschweig (Germany); Weimann, T.; Hinze, P. [Physikalische Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig (Germany)

2008-06-15

We report the electrochemical growth of zinc oxide nanorods in a zinc nitrate/hexamethylenetetramine solution at 70 C. High-density vertical nanorods were grown on Au films on silicon substrates with a texture coefficient better than 99.9%. By varying the reactant concentration the diameter can be varied between 100 and 250 nm, with corresponding lengths of 1 to 4 {mu}m. Furthermore, this approach was used for the selective growth on Ti/Au strip conductors ordered in an interdigitated structure on an insulating substrate. We achieved the growth of ZnO nanorods between neighbouring strip conductors bridging the gap between them. In this configuration the nanorods are already contacted and electrical measurements can be directly performed. First I-V measurements show a good conductivity of the as-grown nanorods and the resistance could be estimated to be 0.1 {omega}cm. Under UV illumination the ZnO nanorods demonstrate a photoconductivity, but only after annealing the sample at 300 C in N{sub 2}. (orig.)

Fabrication and Characterization of Vertically Aligned ZnO Nanorod Arrays via Inverted Monolayer Colloidal Crystals Mask

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Cheng; Ding, Taotao; Qi, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Jun; Xu, Juan; Chen, Jingwen; Dai, Jiangnan; Chen, Changqing

2018-04-01

The periodically ordered ZnO nanorod (NR) arrays have been successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal approach on the silicon substrates by templating of the TiO2 ring deriving from the polystyrene (PS) nanosphere monolayer colloidal crystals (MCC). With the inverted MCC mask, sol-gel-derived ZnO seeds could serve as the periodic nucleation positions for the site-specific growth of ZnO NRs. The large-scale patterned arrays of single ZnO NR with good side-orientation can be readily produced. According to the experimental results, the as-integrated ZnO NR arrays showed an excellent crystal quality and optical property, very suitable for optoelectronic applications such as stimulated emitters and ZnO photonic crystal devices.

Study of annealing effect on the growth of ZnO nanorods on ZnO seed layers

Science.gov (United States)

Sannakashappanavar, Basavaraj S.; Pattanashetti, Nandini A.; Byrareddy, C. R.; Yadav, Aniruddh Bahadur

2018-04-01

A zinc oxide (ZnO) seed layer was deposited on the SiO2/Si substrate by RF sputtering. To study the effect of annealing, the seed layers were classified into annealed and unannealed thin films. Annealing of the seed layers was carried at 450°C. Surface morphology of the seed layers were studied by Atomic force microscopy. ZnO nanorods were then grown on both the types of seed layer by hydrothermal method. The morphology and the structural properties of the nanorods were characterized by X-ray diffraction and Scanning electron microscopy. The effect of seed layer annealing on the growth and orientation of the ZnO nanorods were clearly examined on comparing with the nanorods grown on unannealed seed layer. The nanorods grown on annealed seed layers were found to be well aligned and oriented. Further, the I-V characteristic study was carried out on these aligned nanorods. The results supports positively for the future work to further enhance the properties of developed nanorods for their wide applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Effect of Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} concentration in hydrothermal–electrochemical deposition on morphology and photoelectrochemical properties of ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yilmaz, Ceren, E-mail: ceryilmaz@ku.edu.tr [Koc University, Department of Chemistry, Rumelifeneri yolu, Sariyer 34450, Istanbul (Turkey); Unal, Ugur [Koc University, Department of Chemistry, Rumelifeneri yolu, Sariyer 34450, Istanbul (Turkey); Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Koc University, Rumelifeneri yolu, Sariyer 34450, Istanbul (Turkey); Koc University Surface Science and Technology Center (KUYTAM), Rumelifeneri yolu, Sariyer 34450, Istanbul (Turkey)

2016-04-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Combined hydrothermal–electrochemical deposition was used to grow ZnO films. • 1-D ZnO NRs are obtained even at high Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} concentrations (1 mM < [Zn{sup 2+}] < 0.1 M). • Aspect ratio and alignment of ZnO NRs can be controlled by initial [Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}]. • [Zn{sup 2+}] dependent structural and photoelectrochemical properties have been studied. • Photocurrent density exhibited by ZnO NRs increases with increasing aspect ratio. - Abstract: Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} concentration had been reported to be significantly influential on electrodeposition of ZnO structures. In this work, this issue is revisited using hydrothermal–electrochemical deposition (HED). Seedless, cathodic electrochemical deposition of ZnO films is carried out on ITO electrode at 130 °C in a closed glass reactor with varying Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} concentration. Regardless of the concentration of Zn{sup 2+} precursor (0.001–0.1 M) in the deposition solution, vertically aligned 1-D ZnO nanorods are obtained as opposed to electrodepositions at lower temperatures (70–80 °C). We also report the effects of high bath temperature and pressure on the photoelectrochemical properties of the ZnO films. Manipulation of precursor concentration in the deposition solution allows adjustment of the aspect ratio of the nanorods and the degree of texturation along the c-axis; hence photoinduced current density. HED is shown to provide a single step synthesis route to prepare ZnO rods with desired aspect ratio specific for the desired application just by controlling the precursor concentration.

Electrical conduction and NO{sub 2} gas sensing properties of ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Şahin, Yasin [Council of Forensic Medicine, Bahçelievler, 34196 Istanbul (Turkey); Öztürk, Sadullah, E-mail: sadullahozturk@gyte.edu.tr [Gebze Institute of Technology, Science Faculty, Department of Physics, 41400 Gebze, Kocaeli (Turkey); Kılınç, Necmettin [Gebze Institute of Technology, Science Faculty, Department of Physics, 41400 Gebze, Kocaeli (Turkey); Koc University, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Sariyer, 34450 Istanbul (Turkey); Kösemen, Arif [Gebze Institute of Technology, Science Faculty, Department of Physics, 41400 Gebze, Kocaeli (Turkey); Mus Alparslan University, Department of Physics, 49100 Mus (Turkey); Erkovan, Mustafa [SAKARYA University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Esentepe Campus, 54187 Sakarya (Turkey); Öztürk, Zafer Ziya [Gebze Institute of Technology, Science Faculty, Department of Physics, 41400 Gebze, Kocaeli (Turkey); TÜBİTAK-Marmara Research Center, Materials Institute, 41470 Gebze, Kocaeli (Turkey)

2014-06-01

Thermally stimulated current (TSC), photoresponse and gas sensing properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were investigated depending on heating rates, illumination and dark aging times with using sandwich type electrode system. Vertically aligned ZnO nanorods were grown on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrate by hydrothermal process. TSC measurements were performed at different heating rates under constant potential. Photoresponse and gas sensing properties were investigated in dry air ambient at 200 °C. For gas sensing measurements, ZnO nanorods were exposed to NO{sub 2} (100 ppb to 1 ppm) in dark and illuminated conditions and the resulting resistance transient was recorded. It was found from dark electrical measurements that the dependence of the dc conductivity on temperature followed Mott's variable range hopping (VRH) model. In addition, response time and recovery times of ZnO nanorods to NO{sub 2} gas decreased by exposing to white light.

Growth of vertically aligned ZnO nanorods using textured ZnO films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meléndrez Manuel

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract A hydrothermal method to grow vertical-aligned ZnO nanorod arrays on ZnO films obtained by atomic layer deposition (ALD is presented. The growth of ZnO nanorods is studied as function of the crystallographic orientation of the ZnO films deposited on silicon (100 substrates. Different thicknesses of ZnO films around 40 to 180 nm were obtained and characterized before carrying out the growth process by hydrothermal methods. A textured ZnO layer with preferential direction in the normal c-axes is formed on substrates by the decomposition of diethylzinc to provide nucleation sites for vertical nanorod growth. Crystallographic orientation of the ZnO nanorods and ZnO-ALD films was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Composition, morphologies, length, size, and diameter of the nanorods were studied using a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersed x-ray spectroscopy analyses. In this work, it is demonstrated that crystallinity of the ZnO-ALD films plays an important role in the vertical-aligned ZnO nanorod growth. The nanorod arrays synthesized in solution had a diameter, length, density, and orientation desirable for a potential application as photosensitive materials in the manufacture of semiconductor-polymer solar cells. PACS 61.46.Hk, Nanocrystals; 61.46.Km, Structure of nanowires and nanorods; 81.07.Gf, Nanowires; 81.15.Gh, Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced CVD, MOCVD, ALD, etc.

Time of Growth Dependent of ZnO-Nanorods by Self-Assembly Methods and its Structural Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Aprilia, A.; Bahtiar, A.; Safriani, L.; Ayunita, C. C.; Afifah, N.; Syakir, N.; Risdiana; Saragi, T.; Hidayat, S.; Fitrilawati; Siregar, R. E.

2017-05-01

ZnO-nanorods (ZnO-Nrs) have been successfully prepared on glass substrate using self-assembly method by varying deposition time. Zn acetate dehydrate and 2-methoxyethanol was used as raw material and solvent respectively (for ZnO seed layer preparation), meanwhile Zn nitrate hexahydrate and hexametylenetetramine (HMTA) dissolved in deionized water used as solution growth of ZnO-Nanorods (ZnO-Nrs). In this work, deposition times of ZnO-Nrs were varied by 120 min, 150 min, 180 min and 210 minutes at 100°C of annealing temperature. In order to investigate the physical properties of resulting ZnO, several measurements such as x-ray diffraction (XRD), ultra-violet visible spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were carried out. Based on ZnO nanorods SEM image with varying time depositions, seems that increasing deposition time the nanorod size decrease but when the time reach 210 min, the average size of nanorods turned back increase. From XRD measurement, the average grain size and lattice constant (c) which is assemble the nanorod structure and lattice constant (c) was determined by Debye-Scherrer formula and Bragg law’s respectively. The growth process of ZnO nanorod by 180 min time deposition was known as an appropriate time to produce ZnO nanorods with high crystal quality due to sharp peak intensity of XRD spectrum.

Growth and investigation of antifungal properties of ZnO nanorod arrays on the glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eskandari, M.; Haghighi, N.; Ahmadi, V.; Haghighi, F.; Mohammadi, SH.R.

2011-01-01

In this study, we have investigated the antifungal activity of ZnO nanorods prepared by the chemical solution method against Candida albicans. In the study, Zinc oxide nanorods have been deposited on glass substrates using the chemical solution method. The as-grown samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed zinc oxide nanorods grown in (0 0 2) orientation. The antifungal results indicated that ZnO nanorod arrays exhibit stable properties after two months and play an important role in the growth inhibitory of Candida albicans.

Piezoelectric coupling in a field-effect transistor with a nanohybrid channel of ZnO nanorods grown vertically on graphene.

Science.gov (United States)

Quang Dang, Vinh; Kim, Do-Il; Thai Duy, Le; Kim, Bo-Yeong; Hwang, Byeong-Ung; Jang, Mi; Shin, Kyung-Sik; Kim, Sang-Woo; Lee, Nae-Eung

2014-12-21

Piezoelectric coupling phenomena in a graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) with a nano-hybrid channel of chemical-vapor-deposited Gr (CVD Gr) and vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (NRs) under mechanical pressurization were investigated. Transfer characteristics of the hybrid channel GFET clearly indicated that the piezoelectric effect of ZnO NRs under static or dynamic pressure modulated the channel conductivity (σ) and caused a positive shift of 0.25% per kPa in the Dirac point. However, the GFET without ZnO NRs showed no change in either σ or the Dirac point. Analysis of the Dirac point shifts indicated transfer of electrons from the CVD Gr to ZnO NRs due to modulation of their interfacial barrier height under pressure. High responsiveness of the hybrid channel device with fast response and recovery times was evident in the time-dependent behavior at a small gate bias. In addition, the hybrid channel FET could be gated by mechanical pressurization only. Therefore, a piezoelectric-coupled hybrid channel GFET can be used as a pressure-sensing device with low power consumption and a fast response time. Hybridization of piezoelectric 1D nanomaterials with a 2D semiconducting channel in FETs enables a new design for future nanodevices.

Vapour transport growth of ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mofor, A.C.; Bakin, A.S.; Elshaer, A.; Waag, A. [Technical University Braunschweig, Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Braunschweig (Germany); Fuhrmann, D.; Hangleiter, A. [Technical University Braunschweig, Institute of Applied Physics, Braunschweig (Germany); Bertram, F.; Christen, J. [University of Magdeburg, Department of Solid State Physics, Magdeburg (Germany)

2007-07-15

The fabrication of low-dimensional ZnO structures has attracted enormous attention as such nanostructures are expected to pave the way for many interesting applications in optoelectronics, spin electronics gas sensor technology and biomedicine. Many reported fabrication methods, especially for ZnO nanorods are mostly based on catalyst-assisted growth techniques that employ metal-organic sources and other contaminating agents like graphite to grow ZnO nanorods at relatively high temperatures. We report on catalyst-free vapour-phase epitaxy growth of ZnO nanorods on 6H-SiC and (11-20)Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} using purely elemental sources at relatively low temperatures and growth pressure. ZnO nanorods with widths of 80-900 nm and lengths of up to 12 {mu}m were obtained. Nanorod density on the order of 10{sup 9} cm{sup -2} with homogenous luminescence and high purity was also noted. (orig.)

ZnO Nano-Rod Devices for Intradermal Delivery and Immunization.

Science.gov (United States)

Nayak, Tapas R; Wang, Hao; Pant, Aakansha; Zheng, Minrui; Junginger, Hans; Goh, Wei Jiang; Lee, Choon Keong; Zou, Shui; Alonso, Sylvie; Czarny, Bertrand; Storm, Gert; Sow, Chorng Haur; Lee, Chengkuo; Pastorin, Giorgia

2017-06-15

Intradermal delivery of antigens for vaccination is a very attractive approach since the skin provides a rich network of antigen presenting cells, which aid in stimulating an immune response. Numerous intradermal techniques have been developed to enhance penetration across the skin. However, these methods are invasive and/or affect the skin integrity. Hence, our group has devised zinc oxide (ZnO) nano-rods for non-destructive drug delivery. Chemical vapour deposition was used to fabricate aligned nano-rods on ZnO pre-coated silicon chips. The nano-rods' length and diameter were found to depend on the temperature, time, quality of sputtered silicon chips, etc. Vertically aligned ZnO nano-rods with lengths of 30-35 µm and diameters of 200-300 nm were selected for in vitro human skin permeation studies using Franz cells with Albumin-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) absorbed on the nano-rods. Fluorescence and confocal studies on the skin samples showed FITC penetration through the skin along the channels formed by the nano-rods. Bradford protein assay on the collected fluid samples indicated a significant quantity of Albumin-FITC in the first 12 h. Low antibody titres were observed with immunisation on Balb/c mice with ovalbumin (OVA) antigen coated on the nano-rod chips. Nonetheless, due to the reduced dimensions of the nano-rods, our device offers the additional advantage of excluding the simultaneous entrance of microbial pathogens. Taken together, these results showed that ZnO nano-rods hold the potential for a safe, non-invasive, and painless intradermal drug delivery.

Effects of Chromium Dopant on Ultraviolet Photoresponsivity of ZnO Nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Mokhtari, S.; Safa, S.; Khayatian, A.; Azimirad, R.

2017-07-01

Structural and optical properties of bare ZnO nanorods, ZnO-encapsulated ZnO nanorods, and Cr-doped ZnO-encapsulated ZnO nanorods have been investigated. Encapsulated ZnO nanorods were grown using a simple two-stage method in which ZnO nanorods were first grown on a glass substrate directly from a hydrothermal bath, then encapsulated with a thin layer of Cr-doped ZnO by dip coating. Comparative study of x-ray diffraction patterns showed that Cr was successfully incorporated into the shell layer of ZnO nanorods. Moreover, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy confirmed presence of Cr in this sample. It was observed that the thickness of the shell layer around the core of the ZnO nanorods was at least about 20 nm. Transmission electron microscopy of bare ZnO nanorods revealed single-crystalline structure. Based on optical results, both the encapsulation process and addition of Cr dopant decreased the optical bandgap of the samples. Indeed, the optical bandgap values of Cr-doped ZnO-encapsulated ZnO nanorods, ZnO-encapsulated ZnO nanorods, and bare ZnO nanorods were 2.89 eV, 3.15 eV, and 3.34 eV, respectively. The ultraviolet (UV) parameters demonstrated that incorporation of Cr dopant into the shell layer of ZnO nanorods considerably facilitated formation and transportation of photogenerated carriers, optimizing their performance as a practical UV detector. As a result, the photocurrent of the Cr-doped ZnO-encapsulated ZnO nanorods was the highest (0.6 mA), compared with ZnO-encapsulated ZnO nanorods and bare ZnO nanorods (0.21 mA and 0.06 mA, respectively).

Enormous enhancement of ZnO nanorod photoluminescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y.H.; Duan, W.J.; Wu, Z.L.; Zheng, D.; Zhou, X.W.; Zhou, B.Y.; Dai, L.J.; Wang, Y.S.

2012-01-01

ZnO nanorod arrays were grown on quartz slices in the aqueous solution of zinc acetate and hexamethylenetetramine at 90 °C. Then ZnO:Mg shells were epitaxially grown on the nanorods to form core/shell structures in the aqueous solution of zinc acetate, magnesium acetate and hexamethylenetetramine at the same temperature. Effects of the shells and UV laser beam irradiation on the crystal structure and photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanorods were studied. ZnO:Mg shells suppress the green emission and enhance the UV emission intensity of the nanorods by 38 times. Enhancement of the UV emission depends on the Mg content in the shells. Short time UV laser beam irradiation could improve ZnO nanorod emission efficiently. The UV emission intensity of ZnO nanorods is enhanced by 71 times by capping and subsequent UV laser beam irradiation. - Highlights: ► ZnO nanorod arrays were grown on quartz slices in solution at 90 °C. ► The nanorods were capped by ZnO:Mg layers to form core/shell structures. ► ZnO:MgO shells suppress the green emission and enhance the UV emission intensity by 38 times. ► The enhancement depends on the Mg content in the shells. ► Exposing the nanorods to 325 laser beam improves the UV emission efficiently. ► Capping and 325 nm laser beam irradiation could enhance the nanorod UV emission intensity by 71 times.

Fabrication and photovoltaic properties of ZnO nanorods/perovskite solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shirahata, Yasuhiro; Tanaike, Kohei; Akiyama, Tsuyoshi; Fujimoto, Kazuya; Suzuki, Atsushi; Balachandran, Jeyadevan; Oku, Takeo, E-mail: oku@mat.usp.ac.jp [Department of Materials Science, The University of Shiga Prefecture, 2500 Hassaka, Hikone, Shiga 522-8533 (Japan)

2016-02-01

ZnO nanorods/perovskite solar cells with different lengths of ZnO nanorods were fabricated. The ZnO nanorods were prepared by chemical bath deposition and directly confirmed to be hexagon-shaped nanorods. The lengths of the ZnO nanorads were controlled by deposition condition of ZnO seed layer. Photovoltaic properties of the ZnO nanorods/CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} solar cells were investigated by measuring current density-voltage characteristics and incident photon to current conversion efficiency. The highest conversion efficiency was obtained in ZnO nanorods/CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} with the longest ZnO nanorods.

ZnO Nano-Rod Devices for Intradermal Delivery and Immunization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tapas R. Nayak

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Intradermal delivery of antigens for vaccination is a very attractive approach since the skin provides a rich network of antigen presenting cells, which aid in stimulating an immune response. Numerous intradermal techniques have been developed to enhance penetration across the skin. However, these methods are invasive and/or affect the skin integrity. Hence, our group has devised zinc oxide (ZnO nano-rods for non-destructive drug delivery. Chemical vapour deposition was used to fabricate aligned nano-rods on ZnO pre-coated silicon chips. The nano-rods’ length and diameter were found to depend on the temperature, time, quality of sputtered silicon chips, etc. Vertically aligned ZnO nano-rods with lengths of 30–35 µm and diameters of 200–300 nm were selected for in vitro human skin permeation studies using Franz cells with Albumin-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC absorbed on the nano-rods. Fluorescence and confocal studies on the skin samples showed FITC penetration through the skin along the channels formed by the nano-rods. Bradford protein assay on the collected fluid samples indicated a significant quantity of Albumin-FITC in the first 12 h. Low antibody titres were observed with immunisation on Balb/c mice with ovalbumin (OVA antigen coated on the nano-rod chips. Nonetheless, due to the reduced dimensions of the nano-rods, our device offers the additional advantage of excluding the simultaneous entrance of microbial pathogens. Taken together, these results showed that ZnO nano-rods hold the potential for a safe, non-invasive, and painless intradermal drug delivery.

Enhanced ethanol gas sensing performance of the networked Pd, In2O3-codecorated ZnO nanorod sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sangmin; Sun, Gun-Joo; Lee, Jae Kyung; Hyun, Soong Keun; Lee, Chongmu

2017-10-01

ZnO nanorods codecorated with Pd and In2O3 nanoparticles were synthesized by thermal evaporation of a mixture of ZnO and graphite powders in an oxidizing atmosphere and followed by solvothermal deposition of Pd and In2O3 and their ethanol gas sensing properties were examined. Pristine ZnO nanorods, Pd-decorated ZnO nanorods and In2O3-decorated ZnO nanorods were also prepared in a similar manner. The codecorated ZnO nanorod sensor showed significantly stronger response to ethanol than the other three sensors, suggesting a synergistic effect of Pd and In2O3 codecoration. The former also showed faster response and recovery than the latter. The pristine and codecorated ZnO nanorod sensors exhibited selectivity toward ethanol over other gases such as acetone, CO, benzene, and toluene. The underlying mechanism for the enhanced sensing performance of the Pd, In2O3-codecorated ZnO nanorod sensor toward ethanol is discussed.

Zinc-oxide nanorod / copper-oxide thin-film heterojunction for a nitrogen-monoxide gas sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, Hwansu; Kim, Hyojin; Kim, Dojin

2014-01-01

A novel p - n oxide heterojunction structure was fabricated by employing n-type zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate by using the hydrothermal method and a p-type copper-oxide (CuO) thin film deposited onto the ZnO nanorod array by using the sputtering method. The crystallinities and microstructures of the heterojunction materials were examined by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The observed current - voltage characteristics of the p - n oxide heterojunction showed a nonlinear diode-like rectifying behavior. The effects of an oxidizing or electron acceptor gas, such as nitrogen monoxide (NO), on the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction were investigated to determine the potential applications of the fabricated material for use in gas sensors. The forward current of the p - n heterojunction was remarkably reduced when NO gas was introduced into dry air at temperatures from 100 to 250 .deg. C. The NO gas response of the oxide heterojunction reached a maximum value at an operating temperature of 180 .deg. C and linearly increased as the NO gas concentration was increased from 5 to 30 ppm. The sensitivity value was observed to be as high as 170% at 180 .deg. C when biased at 2 V in the presence of 20-ppm NO. The ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction also exhibited a stable and repeatable response to NO gas. The experimental results suggest that the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction structure may be a novel candidate for gas sensors.

Zinc-oxide nanorod / copper-oxide thin-film heterojunction for a nitrogen-monoxide gas sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Hwansu; Kim, Hyojin; Kim, Dojin [Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-11-15

A novel p - n oxide heterojunction structure was fabricated by employing n-type zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate by using the hydrothermal method and a p-type copper-oxide (CuO) thin film deposited onto the ZnO nanorod array by using the sputtering method. The crystallinities and microstructures of the heterojunction materials were examined by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The observed current - voltage characteristics of the p - n oxide heterojunction showed a nonlinear diode-like rectifying behavior. The effects of an oxidizing or electron acceptor gas, such as nitrogen monoxide (NO), on the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction were investigated to determine the potential applications of the fabricated material for use in gas sensors. The forward current of the p - n heterojunction was remarkably reduced when NO gas was introduced into dry air at temperatures from 100 to 250 .deg. C. The NO gas response of the oxide heterojunction reached a maximum value at an operating temperature of 180 .deg. C and linearly increased as the NO gas concentration was increased from 5 to 30 ppm. The sensitivity value was observed to be as high as 170% at 180 .deg. C when biased at 2 V in the presence of 20-ppm NO. The ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction also exhibited a stable and repeatable response to NO gas. The experimental results suggest that the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction structure may be a novel candidate for gas sensors.

Effect of precursor solutions stirring on deep level defects concentration and spatial distribution in low temperature aqueous chemical synthesis of zinc oxide nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alnoor, Hatim, E-mail: hatim.alnoor@liu.se; Chey, Chan Oeurn; Pozina, Galia; Willander, Magnus; Nur, Omer [Department of Science and Technology (ITN), Campus Norrköping, Linköping University, SE-601 74 Norrköping (Sweden); Liu, Xianjie; Khranovskyy, Volodymyr [Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, SE-583 81 Linköping (Sweden)

2015-08-15

Hexagonal c-axis oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) with 120-300 nm diameters are synthesized via the low temperature aqueous chemical route at 80 °C on silver-coated glass substrates. The influence of varying the precursor solutions stirring durations on the concentration and spatial distributions of deep level defects in ZnO NRs is investigated. Room temperature micro-photoluminesnce (μ-PL) spectra were collected for all samples. Cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra of the as-synthesized NRs reveal a significant change in the intensity ratio of the near band edge emission (NBE) to the deep-level emission (DLE) peaks with increasing stirring durations. This is attributed to the variation in the concentration of the oxygen-deficiency with increasing stirring durations as suggested from the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Spatially resolved CL spectra taken along individual NRs revealed that stirring the precursor solutions for relatively short duration (1-3 h), which likely induced high super saturation under thermodynamic equilibrium during the synthesis process, is observed to favor the formation of point defects moving towards the tip of the NRs. In contrary, stirring for longer duration (5-15 h) will induce low super saturation favoring the formation of point defects located at the bottom of the NRs. These findings demonstrate that it is possible to control the concentration and spatial distribution of deep level defects in ZnO NRs by varying the stirring durations of the precursor solutions.

Effect of precursor solutions stirring on deep level defects concentration and spatial distribution in low temperature aqueous chemical synthesis of zinc oxide nanorods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hatim Alnoor

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Hexagonal c-axis oriented zinc oxide (ZnO nanorods (NRs with 120-300 nm diameters are synthesized via the low temperature aqueous chemical route at 80 °C on silver-coated glass substrates. The influence of varying the precursor solutions stirring durations on the concentration and spatial distributions of deep level defects in ZnO NRs is investigated. Room temperature micro-photoluminesnce (μ-PL spectra were collected for all samples. Cathodoluminescence (CL spectra of the as-synthesized NRs reveal a significant change in the intensity ratio of the near band edge emission (NBE to the deep-level emission (DLE peaks with increasing stirring durations. This is attributed to the variation in the concentration of the oxygen-deficiency with increasing stirring durations as suggested from the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Spatially resolved CL spectra taken along individual NRs revealed that stirring the precursor solutions for relatively short duration (1-3 h, which likely induced high super saturation under thermodynamic equilibrium during the synthesis process, is observed to favor the formation of point defects moving towards the tip of the NRs. In contrary, stirring for longer duration (5-15 h will induce low super saturation favoring the formation of point defects located at the bottom of the NRs. These findings demonstrate that it is possible to control the concentration and spatial distribution of deep level defects in ZnO NRs by varying the stirring durations of the precursor solutions.

Patterned Well-Aligned ZnO Nanorods Assisted with Polystyrene Monolayer by Oxygen Plasma Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyun Ji Choi

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Zinc oxide is known as a promising material for sensing devices due to its piezoelectric properties. In particular, the alignment of ZnO nanostructures into ordered nanoarrays is expected to improve the device sensitivity due to the large surface area which can be utilized to capture significant quantities of gas particles. However, ZnO nanorods are difficult to grow on the quartz substrate with well-ordered shape. So, we investigated nanostructures by adjusting the interval distance of the arranged ZnO nanorods using polystyrene (PS spheres of various sizes (800 nm, 1300 nm and 1600 nm. In addition, oxygen plasma treatment was used to specify the nucleation site of round, patterned ZnO nanorod growth. Therefore, ZnO nanorods were grown on a quartz substrate with a patterned polystyrene monolayer by the hydrothermal method after oxygen plasma treatment. The obtained ZnO nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD and field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM.

High-Performance Schottky Diode Gas Sensor Based on the Heterojunction of Three-Dimensional Nanohybrids of Reduced Graphene Oxide-Vertical ZnO Nanorods on an AlGaN/GaN Layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Minh Triet, Nguyen; Thai Duy, Le; Hwang, Byeong-Ung; Hanif, Adeela; Siddiqui, Saqib; Park, Kyung-Ho; Cho, Chu-Young; Lee, Nae-Eung

2017-09-13

A Schottky diode based on a heterojunction of three-dimensional (3D) nanohybrid materials, formed by hybridizing reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with epitaxial vertical zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) and Al 0.27 GaN 0.73 (∼25 nm)/GaN is presented as a new class of high-performance chemical sensors. The RGO nanosheet layer coated on the ZnO NRs enables the formation of a direct Schottky contact with the AlGaN layer. The sensing results of the Schottky diode with respect to NO 2 , SO 2 , and HCHO gases exhibit high sensitivity (0.88-1.88 ppm -1 ), fast response (∼2 min), and good reproducibility down to 120 ppb concentration levels at room temperature. The sensing mechanism of the Schottky diode can be explained by the effective modulation of the reverse saturation current due to the change in thermionic emission carrier transport caused by ultrasensitive changes in the Schottky barrier of a van der Waals heterostructure between RGO and AlGaN layers upon interaction with gas molecules. Advances in the design of a Schottky diode gas sensor based on the heterojunction of high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas channel and highly responsive 3D-engineered sensing nanomaterials have potential not only for the enhancement of sensitivity and selectivity but also for improving operation capability at room temperature.

Preparation and Photoluminescence of ZnO Comb-Like Structure and Nanorod Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Song; Chen, Yi-qing; Su, Yong; Zhou, Qing-tao

2007-06-01

A large quantity of Zinc oxide (ZnO) comb-like structure and high-density well-aligned ZnO nanorod arrays were prepared on silicon substrate via thermal evaporation process without any catalyst. The morphology, growth mechanism, and optical properties of the both structures were investigated using XRD, SEM, TEM and PL. The resulting comb-teeth, with a diameter about 20 nm, growing along the [0001] direction have a well-defined epitaxial relationship with the comb ribbon. The ZnO nanorod arrays have a diameter about 200 nm and length up to several micrometers growing approximately vertical to the Si substrate. A ZnO film was obtained before the nanorods growth. A growth model is proposed for interpreting the growth mechanism of comb-like zigzag-notch nanostructure. Room temperature photoluminescence measurements under excitation wavelength of 325 nm showed that the ZnO comb-like nanostructure has a weak UV emission at around 384 nm and a strong green emission around 491 nm, which correspond to a near band-edge transition and the singly ionized oxygen vacancy, respectively. In contrast, a strong and sharp UV peak and a weak green peak was obtained from the ZnO nanorod arrays.

Hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods on self-source substrate and their field emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, J P; Xu, C X; Zhu, G P; Li, X; Cui, Y P; Yang, Y; Sun, X W

2007-01-01

Vertically aligned zinc oxide nanorod arrays were grown directly using a zinc foil as both source and substrate in pure water at low temperature by a simple hydrothermal reaction. The morphology and crystal structure of the ZnO nanorod arrays were examined by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction, respectively. The nanorods grew along the [0 0 0 1] direction and were 80 nm in diameter and almost 2 μm in length. Directly employing the zinc foil substrate as cathode, the field emission (FE) of the ZnO nanorods presented a two-stage slope behaviour in a ln(J/E 2 )-1/E plot according to the Fowler-Nordheim equation. The FE behaviour was investigated by considering the action of the defects in ZnO nanorods based on the measurement of the photoluminescence

Polarized Raman scattering of single ZnO nanorod

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, J. L.; Lai, Y. F.; Wang, Y. Z.; Cheng, S. Y.; Chen, Y. H.

2014-01-01

Polarized Raman scattering measurement on single wurtzite c-plane (001) ZnO nanorod grown by hydrothermal method has been performed at room temperature. The polarization dependence of the intensity of the Raman scattering for the phonon modes A 1 (TO), E 1 (TO), and E 2 high in the ZnO nanorod are obtained. The deviations of polarization-dependent Raman spectroscopy from the prediction of Raman selection rules are observed, which can be attributed to the structure defects in the ZnO nanorod as confirmed by the comparison of the transmission electron microscopy, photoluminescence spectra as well as the polarization dependent Raman signal of the annealed and unannealed ZnO nanorod. The Raman tensor elements of A 1 (TO) and E 1 (TO) phonon modes normalized to that of the E 2 high phonon mode are |a/d|=0.32±0.01, |b/d|=0.49±0.02, and |c/d|=0.23±0.01 for the unannealed ZnO nanorod, and |a/d|=0.33±0.01, |b/d|=0.45±0.01, and |c/d|=0.20±0.01 for the annealed ZnO nanorod, which shows strong anisotropy compared to that of bulk ZnO epilayer

Piezoelectric and opto-electrical properties of silver-doped ZnO nanorods synthesized by low temperature aqueous chemical method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. S. Nour

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we have synthesized Zn1−xAgxO (x = 0, 0.03, 0.06, and 0.09 nanorods (NRs via the hydrothermal method at low temperature on silicon substrate. The characterization and comparison between the different Zn1−xAgxO samples, indicated that an increasing Ag concentration from x = 0 to a maximum of x = 0.09; All samples show a preferred orientation of (002 direction with no observable change of morphology. As the quantity of the Ag dopant was changed, the transmittances, as well as the optical band gap were decreased. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data clearly indicate the presence of Ag in ZnO crystal lattice. A nanoindentation-based technique was used to measure the effective piezo-response of different concentrations of Ag for both direct and converse effects. The value of the piezoelectric coefficient (d33 as well as the piezo potential generated from the ZnO NRs and Zn1−xAgxO NRs was found to decrease with the increase of Ag fraction. The finding in this investigation reveals that Ag doped ZnO is not suitable for piezoelectric energy harvesting devices.

Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 from CuxSnSy nanoparticle precursors on ZnO nanorod arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kavalakkatt, Jaison; Lin, Xianzhong; Kornhuber, Kai; Kusch, Patryk; Ennaoui, Ahmed; Reich, Stephanie; Lux-Steiner, Martha Ch.

2013-01-01

Solar cells with Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 absorber thin films have a potential for high energy conversion efficiencies with earth-abundant and non-toxic elements. In this work the formation of CZTSSe from Cu x SnS y nanoparticles (NPs) deposited on ZnO nanorod (NR) arrays as precursors for zinc is investigated. The NPs are prepared using a chemical route and are dispersed in toluene. The ZnO NRs are grown on fluorine doped SnO 2 coated glass substrates by electro deposition method. A series of samples are annealed at different temperatures between 300 °C and 550 °C in selenium containing argon atmosphere. To investigate the products of the reaction between the precursors the series is analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The morphology is recorded by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of broken cross sections. The XRD measurements and the SEM images show the disappearing of ZnO NRs with increasing annealing temperature. Simultaneously the XRD and Raman measurements show the formation of CZTSSe. The formation of secondary phases and the optimum conditions for the preparation of CZTSSe is discussed. - Highlights: ► Cu x SnS y nanoparticles are deposited on ZnO nanorod arrays. ► Samples are annealed at different temperatures (300–550 °C) in Se/Ar-atmosphere. ► Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy are performed. ► ZnO disappears with increasing annealing temperature. ► With increasing temperature Cu x SnS y and ZnO form Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4

Photoluminescence transient study of surface defects in ZnO nanorods grown by chemical bath deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Barbagiovanni, E. G.; Strano, V.; Franzò, G.; Crupi, I.; Mirabella, S.

2015-03-01

Two deep level defects (2.25 and 2.03 eV) associated with oxygen vacancies (Vo) were identified in ZnO nanorods (NRs) grown by low cost chemical bath deposition. A transient behaviour in the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the two Vo states was found to be sensitive to the ambient environment and to NR post-growth treatment. The largest transient was found in samples dried on a hot plate with a PL intensity decay time, in air only, of 23 and 80 s for the 2.25 and 2.03 eV peaks, respectively. Resistance measurements under UV exposure exhibited a transient behaviour in full agreement with the PL transient, indicating a clear role of atmospheric O2 on the surface defect states. A model for surface defect transient behaviour due to band bending with respect to the Fermi level is proposed. The results have implications for a variety of sensing and photovoltaic applications of ZnO NRs.

Catalyst growth of single crystal aligned ZnO nanorods on ZnO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Dongxu; Andreazza, Caroline; Andreazza, Pascal [Centre de Recherche sur la Matiere Divisee, CNRS-Universite d' Orleans, 1b rue de la Ferollerie, 45071 Orleans cedex 2 (France)

2005-02-01

One dimensional ZnO nanorods were successfully fabricated on Si substrates via a simple physical vapor-phase transport method at 950 C. A ZnO shell covered Au/Zn alloy is assumed as the nucleation site, then ZnO nanorods grow following a vapor-solid (VS) process. In order to guide the nanorod growth a c-axis oriented ZnO thin film and Au catalyst were first deposited on Si (100) surface. SEM images show nanorods grown on this substrate are vertical to the substrate surface. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Au-coated ZnO nanorods on stainless steel fiber for self-cleaning solid phase microextraction-surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Bo; Shi, Yu-e; Cui, Jingcheng; Liu, Zhen; Zhang, Xiaoli; Zhan, Jinhua, E-mail: jhzhan@sdu.edu.cn

2016-06-07

Solid phase microextraction-surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SPME–SERS), combining the pretreatment and determination functions, has been successfully used in environmental analysis. In this work, Au-coated ZnO nanorods were fabricated on stainless steel fiber as a self-cleaning SERS-active SPME fiber. The ZnO nanorods grown on stainless steel fiber were prepared via a simple hydrothermal approach. Then the obtained nanostructures were decorated with Au nanoparticles through ion-sputtering at room temperature. The obtained SERS-active SPME fiber is a reproducible sensitivity sensor. Taking p-aminothiophenol as the probe molecule, the RSD value of the SERS-active SPME fiber was 8.9%, indicating the fiber owned good uniformity. The qualitative and quantitative detection of crystal violet and malachite green was also achieved. The log–log plot of SERS intensity to crystal violet and malachite green concentration showed a good linear relationship. Meanwhile, this SERS-active SPME fiber can achieve self-cleaning owning to the excellent photocatalytic performance of ZnO nanorods. Crystal violet was still successfully detected even after five cycles, which indicated the high reproducibility of this SERS-active SPME fiber. - Graphical abstract: Au-coated ZnO NRs on stainless steel fiber were used as SERS-active SPME fiber with good extraction effect, high SERS sensitivity. Self-cleaning function of the fiber was achieved based on the photocatalytic degradation property of ZnO nanorods by UV irradiation. - Highlights: • Au-coated ZnO nanorods on stainless steel fiber as a SERS-active SPME fiber was fabricated. • The SERS-active SPME fiber can directly extract and detect the crystal violet and malachite green. • The SERS-active SPME fiber owns good extraction effect, and high SERS sensitivity. • Self-cleaning property of the fiber were achieved based on the photocatalytic degradation property of ZnO.

Au-coated ZnO nanorods on stainless steel fiber for self-cleaning solid phase microextraction-surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Bo; Shi, Yu-e; Cui, Jingcheng; Liu, Zhen; Zhang, Xiaoli; Zhan, Jinhua

2016-01-01

Solid phase microextraction-surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SPME–SERS), combining the pretreatment and determination functions, has been successfully used in environmental analysis. In this work, Au-coated ZnO nanorods were fabricated on stainless steel fiber as a self-cleaning SERS-active SPME fiber. The ZnO nanorods grown on stainless steel fiber were prepared via a simple hydrothermal approach. Then the obtained nanostructures were decorated with Au nanoparticles through ion-sputtering at room temperature. The obtained SERS-active SPME fiber is a reproducible sensitivity sensor. Taking p-aminothiophenol as the probe molecule, the RSD value of the SERS-active SPME fiber was 8.9%, indicating the fiber owned good uniformity. The qualitative and quantitative detection of crystal violet and malachite green was also achieved. The log–log plot of SERS intensity to crystal violet and malachite green concentration showed a good linear relationship. Meanwhile, this SERS-active SPME fiber can achieve self-cleaning owning to the excellent photocatalytic performance of ZnO nanorods. Crystal violet was still successfully detected even after five cycles, which indicated the high reproducibility of this SERS-active SPME fiber. - Graphical abstract: Au-coated ZnO NRs on stainless steel fiber were used as SERS-active SPME fiber with good extraction effect, high SERS sensitivity. Self-cleaning function of the fiber was achieved based on the photocatalytic degradation property of ZnO nanorods by UV irradiation. - Highlights: • Au-coated ZnO nanorods on stainless steel fiber as a SERS-active SPME fiber was fabricated. • The SERS-active SPME fiber can directly extract and detect the crystal violet and malachite green. • The SERS-active SPME fiber owns good extraction effect, and high SERS sensitivity. • Self-cleaning property of the fiber were achieved based on the photocatalytic degradation property of ZnO.

Enhanced photovoltaic performance of ZnO nanorod-based dye-sensitized solar cells by using Ga doped ZnO seed layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dou, Yuanyao [State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Department of Applied Physics, College of Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331 (China); Wu, Fang, E-mail: fang01234@163.com [State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Department of Applied Physics, College of Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331 (China); Mao, Caiying [Department of Applied Physics, College of Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331 (China); Fang, Liang, E-mail: lfang@cqu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Department of Applied Physics, College of Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331 (China); Guo, Shengchun [Department of Applied Physics, College of Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331 (China); Zhou, Miao [State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China)

2015-06-05

Highlights: • ZnO nanorods were grown on Ga-doped ZnO seed layers using hydrothermal method. • Using the ZnO nanorods as photoanodes for fabricated dye-sensitized solar cells. • The highest η of 1.23% can be achieved in a DSSC with 3 at.% Ga-doped in seeds. • The effects of ZnO seed layers on electron transport properties were investigated. • The enhancement performance of DSSCs contributed to higher dye loading and η{sub cc}. - Abstract: Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays were grown on FTO substrates with a Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) seed layer by a hydrothermal method. GZO seed layers were obtained via sol–gel technology with Ga concentration in the range of 0–4 at.%. The dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using ZnO nanorod arrays as the photoanode layers were prepared. The effect of Ga dopant concentrations in ZnO seed layer on the morphology features of ZnO nanorod arrays and the performance of DSSCs were systematically investigated. Results indicate that the average diameter and density of ZnO nanorod arrays decrease with increasing Ga concentration, but their length shows an opposite trend. The photocurrent density–voltage (J–V) characteristics reveal that the DSSCs with GZO seed layer exhibit significantly improved photovoltaic performance. In particular, the highest energy conversion efficiency (η) of 1.23% can be achieved in a DSSC with 3 at.% Ga doping, which is increased by 86.36% compared with that of the undoped DSSC. The external quantum efficiency (EQE) spectra and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to explore the photon-to-electron conversion process in DSSCs. It is demonstrated that the performance enhancement of DSSCs based on GZO seed layer can be attributed to higher amount of dye loading, more efficient electron transportation and better electrons collection efficiency.

A study on morphology control and optical properties of ZnO nanorods synthesized by microwave heating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsai, M.K.; Huang, C.C.; Lee, Y.C.; Yang, C.S.; Yu, H.C.; Lee, J.W.; Hu, S.Y.; Chen, C.H.

2012-01-01

In this study, we present morphology control investigations on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods synthesized by microwave heating of a mixture of zinc nitrate hexahydrate and hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) precursors in deionized water (DI water). To study the morphology and structural variations of the obtained ZnO nanorods in different molar ratio of zinc nitrate hexahydrate to HMTA, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were measured. XRD and SEM images are utilized to examine the crystalline quality as well as the morphological properties of the ZnO nanorods. It is found that morphology control can be achieved by simply adjusting the reactant concentrations and the molar ratio of zinc nitrate hexahydrate to HMTA. Raman scattering and PL spectroscopy measurements were demonstrated to study the size- and shape-dependent optical response of the ZnO nanorods. The Raman scattering result shows that the intensity of LO mode at around 576 cm -1 decreases with the increase in the molar ratio of zinc nitrate hexahydrate to HMTA, indicating the reduction of defect concentrations in the synthesized ZnO nanorods. Room temperature PL spectrum of the synthesized ZnO nanorods reveals an ultraviolet (UV) emission peak and a broad visible emission. An enhancement of UV emission appears in the PL spectra as the molar ratio of zinc nitrate hexahydrate to HMTA increases, indicating that the defect concentration of the synthesized ZnO nanorods can be reduced by increasing the molar ratio. - Highlights: → Morphology of ZnO nanorods can be controlled via microwave-heating synthesis. → Molar ratio of Zn(NO 3 ) 2 .6H 2 O to C 6 H 12 N 4 affects the aspect ratio of ZnO nanorod. → ZnO nanorod showing higher aspect ratio can exhibit better optical properties.

SILAR controlled CdSe nanoparticles sensitized ZnO nanorods photoanode for solar cell application: Electrolyte effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikam, Pratibha R; Baviskar, Prashant K; Majumder, Sutripto; Sali, Jaydeep V; Sankapal, Babasaheb R

2018-08-15

Controlled growth of different sizes of cadmium selenide (CdSe) nanoparticles over well aligned ZnO nanorods have been performed using successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique at room temperature (27 °C) in order to form nano heterostructure solar cells. Deposition of compact layer of zinc oxide (ZnO) by SILAR technique on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrate followed by growth of vertically aligned ZnO nanorods array using chemical bath deposition (CBD) at low temperature (SILAR cycles for CdSe and with use of different electrolytes have been recorded as J-V characteristics and the maximum conversion efficiency of 0.63% have been attained with ferro/ferri cyanide electrolyte for 12 cycles CdSe coating over 1-D ZnO nanorods. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Growth of high-density ZnO nanorods on wood with enhanced photostability, flame retardancy and water repellency

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Lizhuo; Tu, Kunkun; Guan, Hao; Wang, Xiaoqing

2017-06-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays were successfully assembled on the wood surface in situ via a two-step process consisting of formation of ZnO seeds and subsequent crystal growth under hydrothermal conditions at a low temperature. The morphology and crystalline structure of the formed ZnO nanorods were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Highly dense and uniform arrays of ZnO nanorods with well-defined hexagonal facets were generated on the wood surface by tuning the concentration of the ZnO growth solution during the hydrothermal treatment. Accelerated weathering tests indicated that the assembled ZnO nanorod arrays were highly protective against UV radiation and greatly enhanced the photostability of the coated wood. Meanwhile, the ZnO nanorod-coated wood can withstand continuous exposure to flame with only minor smoldering in contrast with the pristine wood catching fire easily and burning rapidly. Moreover, when further modified with low-surface-energy stearic acid, the ZnO nanorod decorated wood surface can be transformed into a superhydrophobic surface, with a water contact angle (CA) of ∼154°. Such ZnO nanorod-modified woods with enhanced photostability, flame retardancy and water repellency offer an interesting alternative to conventional wood preservation strategies, highlighting their potential applications in some novel wood products.

Aqueous chemical growth and application of ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Postels, Bianca; Kasprzak, Anna; Mofor, Augustine C.; Wehmann, Hergo-Heinrich; Bakin, Andrey; Waag, Andreas [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Str. 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany)

2007-07-01

A very promising fabrication process for ZnO nanostructures is the aqueous chemical growth (ACG), since it is a cost efficient and low temperature approach. Using this growth technique we generated wafer-scale ZnO nanorod arrays on Si, sapphire, ITO coated glass and even on flexible polymer substrates. ACG is found to be only weakly influenced by the substrate material and we are also able to control the dimensions of the ZnO nanorods. Another benefit of ACG is the ability to fabricate patterned arrays of ZnO nanorods by a selective growth process on structured metallised surfaces. Results of structural analysis with SEM and XRD are reported. Additionally, optical properties were investigated by PL measurements. First attempts on the preparation of dye sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) are also reported. Here, the traditional sintered TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles are replaced by a densely packed and vertically aligned array of ACG ZnO nanorods. The size and morphology of the ZnO nanorods can be controlled. The influence of the length of the nanorods on the cell properties is investigated. A vapour phase transport technique was also used as alternative growth method.

Vertically aligned ZnO nanorods via self-assembled spray pyrolyzed nanoparticles for dye-sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwivedi, Charu; Dutta, V

2012-01-01

Well-aligned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods are fabricated on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates via self-assembly of ZnO nanoparticles created using continuous spray pyrolysis (CoSP) technique. The method involves pre-treatment by dip-coating the substrate with a solution comprising of zinc salt for creating a seed layer, and then spray-pyrolyzed ZnO nanoparticles self-assemble on the pre-treated substrate. The effect of the substrate pre-treatment and the deposition time (t dep ) of nanoparticles is investigated. The results show that the substrate pre-treatment influences the growth of ZnO nanorods which are absent without the pre-treatment. Nanoparticle collection and nanorod growth on different substrates are done simultaneously. The thin films of as-grown nanorods are used as photoelectrode materials to fabricate dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and the effect of nanorods grown for different times has been studied. The best performance with this cell structure is found for the layer with t dep =15 min, which showed a conversion efficiency of 1.77% for the cell area of 0.25 cm 2

Growth of high-density ZnO nanorods on wood with enhanced photostability, flame retardancy and water repellency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kong, Lizhuo; Tu, Kunkun; Guan, Hao [Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091 (China); Wang, Xiaoqing, E-mail: wangxq@caf.ac.cn [Research Institute of Forestry New Technology, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091 (China); Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091 (China)

2017-06-15

Highlights: • ZnO nanorod arrays were deposited on the wood surface via a hydrothermal process. • The assembled ZnO nanorod arrays greatly enhanced the photostability of wood. • The treated wood can sustain direct exposure to flame with only minor smoldering. • The ZnO-coated wood modified with stearic acid showed a superhydrophobic surface. - Abstract: Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays were successfully assembled on the wood surface in situ via a two-step process consisting of formation of ZnO seeds and subsequent crystal growth under hydrothermal conditions at a low temperature. The morphology and crystalline structure of the formed ZnO nanorods were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Highly dense and uniform arrays of ZnO nanorods with well-defined hexagonal facets were generated on the wood surface by tuning the concentration of the ZnO growth solution during the hydrothermal treatment. Accelerated weathering tests indicated that the assembled ZnO nanorod arrays were highly protective against UV radiation and greatly enhanced the photostability of the coated wood. Meanwhile, the ZnO nanorod-coated wood can withstand continuous exposure to flame with only minor smoldering in contrast with the pristine wood catching fire easily and burning rapidly. Moreover, when further modified with low-surface-energy stearic acid, the ZnO nanorod decorated wood surface can be transformed into a superhydrophobic surface, with a water contact angle (CA) of ∼154°. Such ZnO nanorod-modified woods with enhanced photostability, flame retardancy and water repellency offer an interesting alternative to conventional wood preservation strategies, highlighting their potential applications in some novel wood products.

Growth of high-density ZnO nanorods on wood with enhanced photostability, flame retardancy and water repellency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong, Lizhuo; Tu, Kunkun; Guan, Hao; Wang, Xiaoqing

2017-01-01

Highlights: • ZnO nanorod arrays were deposited on the wood surface via a hydrothermal process. • The assembled ZnO nanorod arrays greatly enhanced the photostability of wood. • The treated wood can sustain direct exposure to flame with only minor smoldering. • The ZnO-coated wood modified with stearic acid showed a superhydrophobic surface. - Abstract: Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays were successfully assembled on the wood surface in situ via a two-step process consisting of formation of ZnO seeds and subsequent crystal growth under hydrothermal conditions at a low temperature. The morphology and crystalline structure of the formed ZnO nanorods were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Highly dense and uniform arrays of ZnO nanorods with well-defined hexagonal facets were generated on the wood surface by tuning the concentration of the ZnO growth solution during the hydrothermal treatment. Accelerated weathering tests indicated that the assembled ZnO nanorod arrays were highly protective against UV radiation and greatly enhanced the photostability of the coated wood. Meanwhile, the ZnO nanorod-coated wood can withstand continuous exposure to flame with only minor smoldering in contrast with the pristine wood catching fire easily and burning rapidly. Moreover, when further modified with low-surface-energy stearic acid, the ZnO nanorod decorated wood surface can be transformed into a superhydrophobic surface, with a water contact angle (CA) of ∼154°. Such ZnO nanorod-modified woods with enhanced photostability, flame retardancy and water repellency offer an interesting alternative to conventional wood preservation strategies, highlighting their potential applications in some novel wood products.

Selective tuning of enhancement in near band edge emission in hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods coated with gold

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dixit, Tejendra, E-mail: phd12110211@iiti.ac.in [Molecular and Nanoelectronics Research Group (MNRG), Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Indore, Indore, Madhya Pradesh (India); Palani, I.A., E-mail: palaniia@iiti.ac.in [Mechatronics and Instrumentation Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Indore, Indore, Madhya Pradesh (India); Centre of Material Science and Engineering, IIT Indore, Indore, Madhya Pradesh (India); Singh, Vipul, E-mail: vipul@iiti.ac.in [Molecular and Nanoelectronics Research Group (MNRG), Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Indore, Indore, Madhya Pradesh (India); Centre of Material Science and Engineering, IIT Indore, Indore, Madhya Pradesh (India)

2016-02-15

The room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra of hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods (NRs) coated with Au using dc sputtering and thermal evaporation were systematically investigated. Au coated (via dc sputtering) ZnO NRs were found to exhibit very large near band edge emission enhancement, on the contrary Au coated (via thermal evaporation) ZnO NRs showed suppression in the near band edge emission peak. These observed results were further confirmed by excitation intensity (EI) dependent PL spectra of different samples. Further using Raman spectra it has been observed that the longitudinal optical (LO) phonons exhibit an enhancement and a weakening by the Au coatings, using dc sputtering and thermal evaporation respectively. Finally by controlling the concentration of KMnO{sub 4} as an additive during the hydrothermal growth, selective tuning in the defect density was carried out, which was later utilized to probe the effect of defect density of the Au–ZnO plasmonic coupling. Moreover, our results strongly suggest that the EI dependent PL has a strong dependence on the metal coating technique. The findings presented in this article clearly indicate the dependence of Au–ZnO plasmonic coupling on the overall defect density and the process of Au deposition.

Microwave Synthesized ZnO Nanorod Arrays for UV Sensors: A Seed Layer Annealing Temperature Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Pimentel, Ana; Ferreira, Sofia Henriques; Nunes, Daniela; Calmeiro, Tomas; Martins, Rodrigo; Fortunato, Elvira

2016-04-20

The present work reports the influence of zinc oxide (ZnO) seed layer annealing temperature on structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnO nanorod arrays, synthesized by hydrothermal method assisted by microwave radiation, to be used as UV sensors. The ZnO seed layer was produced using the spin-coating method and several annealing temperatures, ranging from 100 to 500 °C, have been tested. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and spectrophotometry measurements have been used to investigate the structure, morphology, and optical properties variations of the produced ZnO nanorod arrays regarding the seed layer annealing temperatures employed. After the growth of ZnO nanorod arrays, the whole structure was tested as UV sensors, showing an increase in the sensitivity with the increase of seed layer annealing temperature. The UV sensor response of ZnO nanorod arrays produced with the seed layer annealed temperature of 500 °C was 50 times superior to the ones produced with a seed layer annealed at 100 °C.

Single and multi-layered core-shell structures based on ZnO nanorods obtained by aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sáenz-Trevizo, A.; Amézaga-Madrid, P.; Pizá-Ruiz, P.; Antúnez-Flores, W.; Ornelas-Gutiérrez, C.; Miki-Yoshida, M., E-mail: mario.miki@cimav.edu.mx

2015-07-15

Core–shell nanorod structures were prepared by a sequential synthesis using an aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition technique. Several samples consisting of ZnO nanorods were initially grown over TiO{sub 2} film-coated borosilicate glass substrates, following the synthesis conditions reported elsewhere. Later on, a uniform layer consisting of individual Al, Ni, Ti or Fe oxides was grown onto ZnO nanorod samples forming the so-called single MO{sub x}/ZnO nanorod core–shell structures, where MO{sub x} was the metal oxide shell. Additionally, a three-layer core–shell sample was developed by growing Fe, Ti and Fe oxides alternately, onto the ZnO nanorods. The microstructure of the core–shell materials was characterized by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was employed to corroborate the formation of different metal oxides. X-ray diffraction outcomes for single core–shell structures showed solely the presence of ZnO as wurtzite and TiO{sub 2} as anatase. For the multi-layered shell sample, the existence of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} as hematite was also detected. Morphological observations suggested the existence of an outer material grown onto the nanorods and further microstructural analysis by HR-STEM confirmed the development of core–shell structures in all cases. These studies also showed that the individual Al, Fe, Ni and Ti oxide layers are amorphous; an observation that matched with X-ray diffraction analysis where no apparent extra oxides were detected. For the multi-layered sample, the development of a shell consisting of three different oxide layers onto the nanorods was found. Overall results showed that no alteration in the primary ZnO core was produced during the growth of the shells, indicating that the deposition technique used herein was and it is suitable for the synthesis of homogeneous and complex nanomaterials high in quality and purity. In addition

Electrical characteristics of ZnO nanorods reinforced polymer nanocomposite thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhattacharjee, Snigdha; Roy, Asim, E-mail: 28.asim@gmail.com [Department of Physics National Institute Technology Silchar Silchar-788010, Assam (India)

2015-05-15

ZnO nanorods have been prepared by simple chemical method, which is used to fabricate organic bistable devices (OBDs). OBDs are fabricated by incorporating different weight percent (wt %) of chemically synthesized Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanorods into polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Current-voltage (I-V) measurements of the spin coated ZnO+PMMA nanocomopsite thin film on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrate showed current hysteresis behaviour, which is an indication of memory effect. The samples exhibit two distinct resistance states, ON and OFF states, characterised by relatively low and high resistance of the OBDs, respectively. It is also observed that with change in ZnO dopant concentration the value of ON/OFF current changes. Higher ON/OFF current ratio is desired for practical applications. Current conduction mechanism of the devices has been explained invoking various existing models, and it has been found that the trapped-charge-limited conduction mechanism was dominant in our samples.

Solution-processed n-ZnO nanorod/p-Co_3O_4 nanoplate heterojunction light-emitting diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong-Woo; Lee, Su Jeong; Biswas, Pranab; Lee, Tae Il; Myoung, Jae-Min

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The n-ZnO nanorods were epitaxially grown on p-Co_3O_4 nanoplates. • The heteroepitaxial p-n junction was fabricated by using hydrothermal process. • The LEDs emitted reddish-orange and violet light related to ZnO point defects. • The Co_3O_4 nanoplates function as a hole injection layer. • Junction between 1D NRs and 2D NPs provides a new approach to design nanostructures. - Abstract: A heterojunction light-emitting diode (LED) based on p-type cobalt oxide (Co_3O_4) nanoplates (NPs)/n-type zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) is demonstrated. Using a low-temperature aqueous solution process, the n-type ZnO NRs were epitaxially grown on Co_3O_4 NPs which were two-dimensionally assembled by a modified Langmuir-Blodgett process. The heterojunction LEDs exhibited a typical rectifying behavior with a turn-on voltage of about 2 V and emitted not only reddish-orange light at 610 nm but also violet light at about 400 nm. From the comparative analyses of electroluminescence and photoluminescence, it was determined that the reddish-orange light emission was related to the electronic transitions from zinc interstitials (Zn_i) to oxygen interstitials (O_i) or conduction-band minimum (CBM) to oxygen vacancies (V_O), and the violet light emission was attribute to the transition from CBM to valence-band maximum (VBM) or Zn_i to zinc vacancies (V_Z_n).

Effect of precursor concentration on the structural and optical properties of ZnO nanorods prepared by hydrothermal method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lestari, Amie; Iwan, S.; Djuhana, Dede; Imawan, Cuk; Harmoko, Adhi; Fauzia, Vivi

2016-01-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods has attractive properties for nanoscale optoelectronic applications, such as optical sensors, ultraviolet laser diodes, and photodetectors. ZnO nanorods, can be fabricated by simple and low cost chemical approach, such as hydrothermal method. In this method, the morphology, microstructure, optical and electrical properties of ZnO nanorods are highly determined by process parameters such as solvent, deposition time, deposition temperature as well as annealing condition. In this paper we report the fabrication of ZnO nanorods that were grown on transparent conducting indium tin oxide coated glass substrates. Initially, ZnO seed layers were deposited on heated substrates with temperature of 450 °C using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method with frequency of 1.7 MHz and then grown by hydrothermal method with three different precursor concentrations, namely 0.02 M, 0.06 M, and 0.1 M. The surface morphology and structure were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD), while the optical properties were observed by photoluminescence (PL) and and UV VIS reflectance spectroscopy.

Photoluminescence and lasing properties of ZnO nanorods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Geon Joon; Lee, Young Pak; Min, Sun Ki; Han, Sung Hwan; Lim, Hwan Hong; Cha, Myoung Sik; Kim, Sung Soo; Cheong, Hyeon Sik

2010-01-01

In this study, we investigated the structures, photoluminescence (PL), and lasing characteristics of the ZnO nanorods prepared by using chemical bath deposition. The continuous-wave HeCd laser excited PL spectra of the ZnO nanorods exhibited two emission bands, one in the UV region and the other in the visible region. The UV emission band has its peak at 3.25 eV with a bandwidth of 160 meV. However, the PL spectra under 355-nm, 35-ps pulse excitation exhibited a spectrally-narrowed UV emission band with a peak at 3.20 eV and a spectral width of 35 meV. The lasing phenomena were ascribed to the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) caused by coupling of the microcavity effect of ZnO nanorods and the high-intensity excitation. Above the lasing threshold, the ASE peak intensity exhibited a superlinear dependence on the excitation intensity. For an excitation pulse energy of 3 mJ, the ASE peak intensity was increased by enlarging the length of the ZnO nanorods from 1 μm to 4 μm. In addition, the PL spectrum under 800-nm femtosecond pulse excitation exhibited second harmonic generation, as well as the multiphoton absorption-induced UV emission band. In this research, ZnO nanorods were grown on seed layers by using chemical bath deposition in an aqueous solution of Zn(NO 3 ) 2 and hexamethyltetramine. The seed layers were prepared on conducting glass substrates by dip coating in an aqueous colloidal dispersion containing 50% 70-nm ZnO nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy clearly revealed that ZnO nanorods were successfully grown on the seed layers.

Self-Assembly of ZnO-Nanorods and Its Performance in Quasi Solid Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Aprilia, A.; Erdienzy, A.; Bahtiar, A.; Safriani, L.; Syakir, N.; Risdiana; Saragi, T.; Hidayat, S.; Fitrilawati; Hidayat, R.; Siregar, R. E.

2017-07-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) were successfully prepared by self-assembly methods using zinc nitrate hexahydrate and hexamethylenetetramine as raw materials. ZnO-NRs were grown on FTO/ZnO seed layer and to enhance dye adsorption it was continued by deposition of titania (TiO2) paste by screen printing method. Deposition time of ZnO-NRs were varied, for 120, 150 and 180 minutes and subsequently stacked with one layer of TiO2 mesoporous. The resulting heterojunction layers of FTO/ZnO-Nrs/TiO2 was then applied as a photoanode in quasi-solid dye sensitized solar cell (QS- DSSC) with polymer gel electrolyte (PGE) as a hole conductor. UV-Vis spectrometer was used to investigate the changes of dye adsorption in photoanode with/without inserting titania mesoporous. Characterizations of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction was carried out and the results shows that increasing the deposition time produces a smaller average grain size, diameter and denser layer of ZnO-nanorods. From current-voltage measurement, higher efficiency (η = 2.53%) was obtained for 120 min ZnO nanorods with short circuit current density (Jsc ) of 2.84 mA/cm2 and open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.7 V. The combination of TiO2 and ZnO-NRs shows a better performance in solar cells characteristics due to increases of dye adsorption on photoanode and high photogenerated electron transport rate. This work emphasizes an optimum condition of ZnO-NRs in combination with TiO2 mesoporous as an alternative photoanode in QS-DSSC.

Hydrothermal Growth of Vertically Aligned ZnO Nanorods Using a Biocomposite Seed Layer of ZnO Nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibupoto, Zafar Hussain; Khun, Kimleang; Eriksson, Martin; AlSalhi, Mohammad; Atif, Muhammad; Ansari, Anees; Willander, Magnus

2013-08-19

Well aligned ZnO nanorods have been prepared by a low temperature aqueous chemical growth method, using a biocomposite seed layer of ZnO nanoparticles prepared in starch and cellulose bio polymers. The effect of different concentrations of biocomposite seed layer on the alignment of ZnO nanorods has been investigated. ZnO nanorods grown on a gold-coated glass substrate have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) techniques. These techniques have shown that the ZnO nanorods are well aligned and perpendicular to the substrate, and grown with a high density and uniformity on the substrate. Moreover, ZnO nanorods can be grown with an orientation along the c -axis of the substrate and exhibit a wurtzite crystal structure with a dominant (002) peak in an XRD spectrum and possessed a high crystal quality. A photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy study of the ZnO nanorods has revealed a conventional near band edge ultraviolet emission, along with emission in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum due to defect emission. This study provides an alternative method for the fabrication of well aligned ZnO nanorods. This method can be helpful in improving the performance of devices where alignment plays a significant role.

Hydrothermal Growth of Vertically Aligned ZnO Nanorods Using a Biocomposite Seed Layer of ZnO Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zafar Hussain Ibupoto

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Well aligned ZnO nanorods have been prepared by a low temperature aqueous chemical growth method, using a biocomposite seed layer of ZnO nanoparticles prepared in starch and cellulose bio polymers. The effect of different concentrations of biocomposite seed layer on the alignment of ZnO nanorods has been investigated. ZnO nanorods grown on a gold-coated glass substrate have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM techniques. These techniques have shown that the ZnO nanorods are well aligned and perpendicular to the substrate, and grown with a high density and uniformity on the substrate. Moreover, ZnO nanorods can be grown with an orientation along the c-axis of the substrate and exhibit a wurtzite crystal structure with a dominant (002 peak in an XRD spectrum and possessed a high crystal quality. A photoluminescence (PL spectroscopy study of the ZnO nanorods has revealed a conventional near band edge ultraviolet emission, along with emission in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum due to defect emission. This study provides an alternative method for the fabrication of well aligned ZnO nanorods. This method can be helpful in improving the performance of devices where alignment plays a significant role.

Annealing effects on the optical and morphological properties of ZnO nanorods on AZO substrate by using aqueous solution method at low temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Hang, Da-Ren; Islam, Sk Emdadul; Sharma, Krishna Hari; Kuo, Shiao-Wei; Zhang, Cheng-Zu; Wang, Jun-Jie

2014-01-01

Vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (NRs) on aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) substrates were fabricated by a single-step aqueous solution method at low temperature. In order to optimize optical quality, the effects of annealing on optical and structural properties were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence (PL), and Raman spectroscopy. We found that the annealing temperature strongly affects both the near-band-edge (NBE) and visible (defect-related) emissions. The best characteristics have been obtained by employing annealing at 400°C in air for 2 h, bringing about a sharp and intense NBE emission. The defect-related recombinations were also suppressed effectively. However, the enhancement decreases with higher annealing temperature and prolonged annealing. PL study indicates that the NBE emission is dominated by radiative recombination associated with hydrogen donors. Thus, the enhancement of NBE is due to the activation of radiative recombinations associated with hydrogen donors. On the other hand, the reduction of visible emission is mainly attributed to the annihilation of OH groups. Our results provide insight to comprehend annealing effects and an effective way to improve optical properties of low-temperature-grown ZnO NRs for future facile device applications.

Fabrication of Well-Aligned ZnO Nanorods Using a Composite Seed Layer of ZnO Nanoparticles and Chitosan Polymer.

Science.gov (United States)

Khun, Kimleang; Ibupoto, Zafar Hussain; AlSalhi, Mohamad S; Atif, Muhammad; Ansari, Anees A; Willander, Magnus

2013-09-30

In this study, by taking the advantage of both inorganic ZnO nanoparticles and the organic material chitosan as a composite seed layer, we have fabricated well-aligned ZnO nanorods on a gold-coated glass substrate using the hydrothermal growth method. The ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by the Raman spectroscopic techniques, which showed the nanocrystalline phase of the ZnO nanoparticles. Different composites of ZnO nanoparticles and chitosan were prepared and used as a seed layer for the fabrication of well-aligned ZnO nanorods. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopic techniques were utilized for the structural characterization of the ZnO nanoparticles/chitosan seed layer-coated ZnO nanorods on a gold-coated glass substrate. This study has shown that the ZnO nanorods are well-aligned, uniform, and dense, exhibit the wurtzite hexagonal structure, and are perpendicularly oriented to the substrate. Moreover, the ZnO nanorods are only composed of Zn and O atoms. An optical study was also carried out for the ZnO nanoparticles/chitosan seed layer-coated ZnO nanorods, and the obtained results have shown that the fabricated ZnO nanorods exhibit good crystal quality. This study has provided a cheap fabrication method for the controlled morphology and good alignment of ZnO nanorods, which is of high demand for enhancing the working performance of optoelectronic devices.

Fabrication of Well-Aligned ZnO Nanorods Using a Composite Seed Layer of ZnO Nanoparticles and Chitosan Polymer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anees A. Ansari

2013-09-01

Full Text Available In this study, by taking the advantage of both inorganic ZnO nanoparticles and the organic material chitosan as a composite seed layer, we have fabricated well-aligned ZnO nanorods on a gold-coated glass substrate using the hydrothermal growth method. The ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by the Raman spectroscopic techniques, which showed the nanocrystalline phase of the ZnO nanoparticles. Different composites of ZnO nanoparticles and chitosan were prepared and used as a seed layer for the fabrication of well-aligned ZnO nanorods. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopic techniques were utilized for the structural characterization of the ZnO nanoparticles/chitosan seed layer-coated ZnO nanorods on a gold-coated glass substrate. This study has shown that the ZnO nanorods are well-aligned, uniform, and dense, exhibit the wurtzite hexagonal structure, and are perpendicularly oriented to the substrate. Moreover, the ZnO nanorods are only composed of Zn and O atoms. An optical study was also carried out for the ZnO nanoparticles/chitosan seed layer-coated ZnO nanorods, and the obtained results have shown that the fabricated ZnO nanorods exhibit good crystal quality. This study has provided a cheap fabrication method for the controlled morphology and good alignment of ZnO nanorods, which is of high demand for enhancing the working performance of optoelectronic devices.

Investigation of the Influence of the As-Grown ZnO Nanorods and Applied Potentials on an Electrochemical Sensor for In-Vitro Glucose Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Marie

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The influence of the as-grown zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs on the fabricated electrochemical sensor for in vitro glucose monitoring were investigated. A direct growth of ZnO NRs was performed on the Si/SiO2/Au electrode, using hydrothermal and sol-gel techniques at low temperatures. The structure, consisting of a Si/SiO2/Au/GOx/Nafion membrane, was considered as a baseline, and it was tested under several applied potential 0.1–0.8 V. The immobilized working electrode, with GOx and a nafion membrane, was characterized amperometrically using a source meter Keithely 2410, and an electrochemical impedance Gamry potentiostat. The sensor exhibited the following: a high sensitivity of ~0.468 mA/cm2 mM, a low detection limit in the order of 166.6 µM, and a fast and sharp response time of around 2 s. The highest sensitivity and the lowest limit of detection were obtained at 0.4 volt, after the growth of ZnO NRs. The highest net sensitivity was obtained after subtracting the sensitivity of the baseline, and it was in the order of 0.315 mA/cm2·mM. The device was tested with a range of glucose concentrations from 1–10 mM, showing a linear line from 3–8 mM, and the device was saturated after exceeding high concentrations of glucose. Such devices can be used for in vitro glucose monitoring, since glucose changes can be accurately detected.

Synthesis of 1-D ZnO nanorods and polypyrrole/1-D ZnO ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

1-D ZnO nanorods and PPy/1-D ZnO nanocomposites were prepared by the surfactant-assisted precipitation and in situ polymerization method, respectively. The synthesized nanorods and nanocomposites were characterized by UV–Vis spectrophotometer, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction ...

Hydrothermal synthesis of highly crystalline ZnO nanorod arrays: Dependence of morphology and alignment on growth conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Azzez, Shrook A., E-mail: shurouq44@yahoo.com [Institutes of Nano-Optoelectronic Research and Technology Laboratory (INOR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Baghdad (Iraq); Hassan, Z.; Alimanesh, M.; Rasheed, Hiba S.; Sabah, Fayroz A.; Abdulateef, Sinan A. [Institutes of Nano-Optoelectronic Research and Technology Laboratory (INOR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Baghdad (Iraq); Hassan, J. J. [Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Basrah, Basrah (Iraq)

2016-07-06

Highly oriented zinc oxide nanorod were successfully grown on seeded p-type silicon substrate by hydrothermal methode. The morphology and the crystallinty of ZnO c-axis (002) arrays were systematically studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. The effect of seed layer pre-annealing on nanorods properties was explained according to the nucleation site of ZnO nanoparticles on silicon substrate. In addition, the variation of the equal molarity of zinc nitrate hexahydrate and hexamine concentrations in the reaction vessel play a crucial role related to the ZnO nanorods.

Cu-implanted ZnO nanorods array film: An aqueous synthetic approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Ajaya Kumar, E-mail: ajayaksingh_au@yahoo.co.in [Department of Chemistry, Govt. VYT PG. Autonomous College Durg, Chhattisgarh (India); Thool, Gautam Sheel [Department of Chemistry, Govt. VYT PG. Autonomous College Durg, Chhattisgarh (India); Singh, R.S. [Department of Physics, Govt. D.T. College, Utai, Durg, Chhattisgarh (India); Singh, Surya Prakash, E-mail: spsingh@iict.res.in [Inorganic and Physical Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Uppal road, Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500007 (India)

2015-01-05

Highlights: • Cu doped ZnO nanorods were synthesized using low temperature aqueous solution method. • We demonstrated the capping action of TEA via theoretical simulation. • Raman analysis revealed the presence of tensile strain in Cu doped ZnO nanorods. • Growth rate was found to be high in Cu doped ZnO nanorods. - Abstract: Pure and Cu doped ZnO nanorods array are synthesized via two step chemical bath deposition method. The seed layer is prepared by successive ionic layer adsorption reaction (SILAR) method. The synthesized materials have been systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. SEM pictures show the existence of vertically well aligned hexagonal ZnO nanorods. EDAX spectrum confirms the presence of Cu in ZnO nanorods. High intense peak of (0 0 2) plane and E{sub 2}{sup high} mode for XRD and Raman spectrum respectively, suggest the ZnO nanorods are adopted c-axis orientation perpendicular to substrate. XRD and Raman analysis shows the presence of tensile strain in Cu doped ZnO nanorods. Effect of Cu doping on lattice constants, unit cell volume and Zn–O bond length of ZnO nanorods have also been studied. Room temperature PL measurement exhibits two luminescence bands in the spectra i.e. UV emission centered at 3.215 eV and a broad visible band. Theoretical investigation for capping action of triethanolamine is done by Hartree–Fock (HF) method with 3-21G basis set using Gaussian 09 program package.

Photovoltaic properties of ZnO nanorods/p-type Si heterojunction structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafal Pietruszka

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Selected properties of photovoltaic (PV structures based on n-type zinc oxide nanorods grown by a low temperature hydrothermal method on p-type silicon substrates (100 are investigated. PV structures were covered with thin films of Al doped ZnO grown by atomic layer deposition acting as transparent electrodes. The investigated PV structures differ in terms of the shapes and densities of their nanorods. The best response is observed for the structure containing closely-spaced nanorods, which show light conversion efficiency of 3.6%.

Comparative study of ZnO nanorods and thin films for chemical and biosensing applications and the development of ZnO nanorods based potentiometric strontium ion sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Khun, K.; Ibupoto, Z. H.; Chey, C. O.; Lu, Jun.; Nur, O.; Willander, M.

2013-03-01

In this study, the comparative study of ZnO nanorods and ZnO thin films were performed regarding the chemical and biosensing properties and also ZnO nanorods based strontium ion sensor is proposed. ZnO nanorods were grown on gold coated glass substrates by the hydrothermal growth method and the ZnO thin films were deposited by electro deposition technique. ZnO nanorods and thin films were characterised by field emission electron microscopy [FESEM] and X-ray diffraction [XRD] techniques and this study has shown that the grown nanostructures are highly dense, uniform and exhibited good crystal quality. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy [TEM] was used to investigate the quality of ZnO thin film and we observed that ZnO thin film was comprised of nano clusters. ZnO nanorods and thin films were functionalised with selective strontium ionophore salicylaldehyde thiosemicarbazone [ST] membrane, galactose oxidase, and lactate oxidase for the detection of strontium ion, galactose and L-lactic acid, respectively. The electrochemical response of both ZnO nanorods and thin films sensor devices was measured by using the potentiometric method. The strontium ion sensor has exhibited good characteristics with a sensitivity of 28.65 ± 0.52 mV/decade, for a wide range of concentrations from 1.00 × 10-6 to 5.00 × 10-2 M, selectivity, reproducibility, stability and fast response time of 10.00 s. The proposed strontium ion sensor was used as indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of strontium ion versus ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid [EDTA]. This comparative study has shown that ZnO nanorods possessed better performance with high sensitivity and low limit of detection due to high surface area to volume ratio as compared to the flat surface of ZnO thin films.

Cathodoluminescence of single ZnO nanorod heterostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piechal, Bernard; Donatini, Fabrice; Dang, Le Si [CNRS-CEA-UJF joint group ' ' Nanophysique et Semiconducteurs' ' , Universite Joseph Fourier (CNRS UMR 5588), Saint Martin d' Heres (France); Yoo, Jinkyoung; Yi, Gyu-Chul [National CRI Center for Semiconductor Nanorods and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang (Korea); Elshaer, Abdelhamid; Mofor, A.C.; Bakin, Andrey; Waag, Andreas [Institute of Semiconductor Technology (IHT), TU Braunschweig (Germany)

2007-05-15

Optical properties of ZnO-based single nanorods are probed by cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements at T = 5 K. We observe a variation of the ZnO near band edge CL by three orders of magnitude along the nanorod axis, accompanied by a spectral blueshift of 10-30 meV. This indicates a rather poor structural quality of the nanorod bottom part, close to the substrate. ZnO/ZnMgO quantum wells grown on top of ZnO nanorods are found to exhibit much stronger confinement effects as compared to their two-dimensional counterparts, suggesting a reduced spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization effects. (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Y-Doped ZnO Nanorods by Hydrothermal Method and Their Acetone Gas Sensitivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peng Yu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Pure and yttrium- (Y- doped (1 at%, 3 at%, and 7 at% ZnO nanorods were synthesized using a hydrothermal process. The crystallography and microstructure of the synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX. Comparing with pure ZnO nanorods, Y-doped ZnO exhibited improved acetone sensing properties. The response of 1 at% Y-doped ZnO nanorods to 100 ppm acetone is larger than that of pure ZnO nanorods. The response and recovery times of 1 at% Y-doped ZnO nanorods to 100 ppm acetone are about 30 s and 90 s, respectively. The gas sensor based on Y-doped ZnO nanorods showed good selectivity to acetone in the interfere gases of ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, and methanol. The formation mechanism of the ZnO nanorods was briefly analyzed.

Amplified photoacoustic performance and enhanced photothermal stability of reduced graphene oxide coated gold nanorods for sensitive photoacoustic imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, Hyungwon; Kumar, Dinesh; Kim, Haemin; Sim, Changbeom; Chang, Jin-Ho; Kim, Jung-Mu; Kim, Hyuncheol; Lim, Dong-Kwon

2015-03-24

We report a strongly amplified photoacoustic (PA) performance of the new functional hybrid material composed of reduced graphene oxide and gold nanorods. Due to the excellent NIR light absorption properties of the reduced graphene oxide coated gold nanorods (r-GO-AuNRs) and highly efficient heat transfer process through the reduced graphene oxide layer, r-GO-AuNRs exhibit excellent photothermal stability and significantly higher photoacoustic amplitudes than those of bare-AuNRs, nonreduced graphene oxide coated AuNRs (GO-AuNRs), or silica-coated AuNR, as demonstrated in both in vitro and in vivo systems. The linear response of PA amplitude from reduced state controlled GO on AuNR indicates the critical role of GO for a strong photothermal effect of r-GO-AuNRs. Theoretical studies with finite-element-method lab-based simulation reveal that a 4 times higher magnitude of the enhanced electromagnetic field around r-GO-AuNRs can be generated compared with bare AuNRs or GO-AuNRs. Furthermore, the r-GO-AuNRs are expected to be a promising deep-tissue imaging probe because of extraordinarily high PA amplitudes in the 4-11 MHz operating frequency of an ultrasound transducer. Therefore, the r-GO-AuNRs can be a useful imaging probe for highly sensitive photoacoustic images and NIR sensitive therapeutics based on a strong photothermal effect.

Effect of ZnO decoration on the photovoltaic performance of TiO{sub 2} based dye sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Long; Zhai, Bao-gai [School of Mathematics and Physics, Changzhou University, Jiangsu 213164 (China); Ma, Qing-lan [School of Electronics and Information, Nantong University, Jiangsu 226019 (China); Huang, Yuan Ming, E-mail: dongshanisland@126.com [School of Electronics and Information, Nantong University, Jiangsu 226019 (China)

2014-08-25

Highlights: • Various ZnO morphologies coated TiO{sub 2} photoanodes are formed and applied to DSSCs. • The effect of photoanode morphology on performance of DSSCs was studied. • ZnO NRs@TiO{sub 2} electrode provides more dye absorption and fast transfer pathway. • The η of DSSC with ZnO NRs@TiO{sub 2} is increased over fourfold than other DSSCs. - Abstract: ZnO nanoparticles and one-dimensional vertically aligned ZnO nanorods were grown on the TiO{sub 2} layers in the photoanodes via the hydrothermal method at 60 and 90 °C, respectively. The effect of ZnO decoration on the photovoltaic performance of TiO{sub 2} based dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was investigated. The morphologies, crystalline structures and optical properties of the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles and ZnO nanorods were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer and photoluminescence spectroscopy, respectively. The photocurrent–voltage curves of the fabricated DSSCs showed that the ZnO nanorods decorated DSSCs exhibited better photovoltaic performance than the ZnO nanoparticles decorated DSSCs. The improved performance of the ZnO nanorods decorated DSSCs can be ascribed to the fact that the vertically aligned ZnO nanorods provide high specific surface area for dye adsorption and the efficient pathway for electron transportation.

Electrical anisotropy properties of ZnO nanorods analyzed by conductive atomic force microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Yunfeng; Yu Naisen; Liu Dongping; He Yangyang; Liu Yuanda; Liang Hongwei; Du Guotong

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► The electrical properties of one individual lying ZnO nanorod were performed by C-AFM measurement. ► Inhomogeneous spatial current distribution was detected. ► Current was detected along the side facets while no current was detected in the top plane for ZnO nanorod. ► The side facets were more conductive than the top facets of ZnO nanorods. - Abstract: In this study, we have prepared ZnO nanorods on cracked GaN substrates using aqueous solution method. Unique electrical characterization of one individual lying ZnO nanorod is analyzed by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). Effect of anisotropy properties on the conductivity of a single nanorod has been investigated. The current maps of ZnO nanorods have been simultaneously recorded with the topography which is gained by AFM-contact mode. The C-AFM measurement present local current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of the side facets of one individual lying nanorod, however, no current is detected on the top facets of ZnO nanorods. Measurement results indicate that the side facets are more electrically active than the top facets of ZnO nanorods due to lower Schottky barrier height of the side facets.

Encapsulation of nanoparticles into single-crystal ZnO nanorods and microrods.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jinzhang; Notarianni, Marco; Rintoul, Llew; Motta, Nunzio

2014-01-01

One-dimensional single crystal incorporating functional nanoparticles of other materials could be an interesting platform for various applications. We studied the encapsulation of nanoparticles into single-crystal ZnO nanorods by exploiting the crystal growth of ZnO in aqueous solution. Two types of nanodiamonds with mean diameters of 10 nm and 40 nm, respectively, and polymer nanobeads with size of 200 nm have been used to study the encapsulation process. It was found that by regrowing these ZnO nanorods with nanoparticles attached to their surfaces, a full encapsulation of nanoparticles into nanorods can be achieved. We demonstrate that our low-temperature aqueous solution growth of ZnO nanorods do not affect or cause degradation of the nanoparticles of either inorganic or organic materials. This new growth method opens the way to a plethora of applications combining the properties of single crystal host and encapsulated nanoparticles. We perform micro-photoluminescence measurement on a single ZnO nanorod containing luminescent nanodiamonds and the spectrum has a different shape from that of naked nanodiamonds, revealing the cavity effect of ZnO nanorod.

Water resistant surfaces using zinc oxide structured nanorod arrays with switchable wetting property

OpenAIRE

Ennaceri, H.; Wang, L.; Erfurt, D.; Riedel, W.; Mangalgiri, G.; Khaldoun, A.; El Kenz, A.; Benyoussef, A.; Ennaoui, A

2016-01-01

This study presents an experimental approach for fabricating super hydrophobic coatings based on a dual roughness structure composed of zinc oxide nanorod arrays coated with a sputtered zinc oxide nano layer. The ZnO nanorod arrays were grown by means of a low temperature electrochemical deposition technique 75 C on FTO substrates. The ZnO nanorods show a 002 orientation along the c axis, and have a hexagonal structure, with an average length of 710 nm, and average width of 156 nm. On th...

Physical and chemical contributions of a plasma treatment in the growth of ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jang, J.T. [Department of Nano Systems Engineering, Center for Nano Manufacturing, Inje University, Obang-dong, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-749 (Korea, Republic of); Ryu, H., E-mail: hhryu@inje.ac.kr [Department of Nano Systems Engineering, Center for Nano Manufacturing, Inje University, Obang-dong, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-749 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, W.J. [Department of Materials and Components Engineering, Dong-Eui University, 995 Eomgwangno, Busanjin-gu, Busan 614-714 (Korea, Republic of); Yun, J. [Department of Nano Science and Engineering, Kyungnam University, Changwon, Gyeongnam 631-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2013-11-15

Highlights: •ZnO nanorods were grown by hydrothermal synthesis. •Oxygen plasma was done on the surface of seed ZnO nanorods. •The ZnO nanorods with and without plasma treatment were characterized. •The results showed that the optical and structural properties of ZnO nanorods with plasma treatment were enhanced. -- Abstract: We analyzed the enhancement of optical and structural properties of ZnO nanorods by using a plasma treatment. In this study, seed ZnO nanorods were grown by hydrothermal synthesis for 1 h on a ZnO buffered Si substrate. The seed ZnO nanorods were then treated with an oxygen plasma. Next, ZnO was grown for an additional 4 h by hydrothermal synthesis. The resultant ZnO nanorods were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL). The measurements showed that the plasma treatment of the seed ZnO nanorods increased the roughness of the buffer layer and the concentration of oxygen ions on the surfaces of the seed ZnO nanorods and the buffer layer, leading to improved optical and structural properties. In this study, we found that the plasma treatment on the seed ZnO nanorods enhanced the optical and structural properties of the ZnO nanorods.

Effect of ALD surface treatment on structural and optical properties of ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jang, Jin-Tak [Department of Nano Systems Engineering, Center for Nano Manufacturing, Inje University, Obang-dong, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-749 (Korea, Republic of); Ryu, Hyukhyun, E-mail: hhryu@inje.ac.kr [Department of Nano Systems Engineering, Center for Nano Manufacturing, Inje University, Obang-dong, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-749 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Won-Jae [Department of Materials and Components Engineering, Dong-Eui University, 995 Eomgwangno, Busanjin-gu, Busan 614-714 (Korea, Republic of)

2013-07-01

In this study, we report on the improvement of the optical and structural properties of ZnO nanorods using atomic layer deposition (ALD) on seed ZnO nanorods. After the initial growth of ZnO seed nanorods by hydrothermal synthesis for 1 h, a ZnO layer with a thickness of 10 nm was deposited on the initial ZnO seed nanorods using ALD. Then ZnO was further grown by hydrothermal synthesis for 4 h. The samples were characterized using room temperature photoluminescence (PL), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). From this experiment, it was found that the ZnO nanorods with the ALD surface treatment show improved optical and structural properties when compared with the ZnO nanorods grown only by hydrothermal synthesis. The ZnO nanorods with the ALD surface treatment show about 2.7 times higher XRD (0 0 2) peak intensity, about 2.64 times higher PL NBE peak intensity, and about 3.1 times better NBE/DLE ratio than the ZnO nanorods without an ALD surface treatment.

Attachment of Quantum Dots on Zinc Oxide Nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Seay, Jared; Liang, Huan; Harikumar, Parameswar

2011-03-01

ZnO nanorods grown by hydrothermal technique are of great interest for potential applications in photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices. In this study we investigate the optimization of the optical absorption properties by a low temperature, chemical bath deposition technique. Our group fabricated nanorods on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate with precursor solution of zinc nitrate hexahydrate and hexamethylenetramine (1:1 molar ratio) at 95C for 9 hours. In order to optimize the light absorption characteristics of ZnO nanorods, CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots (QDs) of various diameters were attached to the surface of ZnO nanostructures grown on ITO and gold-coated silicon substrates. Density of quantum dots was varied by controlling the number drops on the surface of the ZnO nanorods. For a 0.1 M concentration of QDs of 10 nm diameter, the PL intensity at 385 nm increased as the density of the quantum dots on ZnO nanostructures was increased. For quantum dots at 1 M concentration, the PL intensity at 385 nm increased at the beginning and then decreased at higher density. We will discuss the observed changes in PL intensity with QD concentration with ZnO-QD band structure and recombination-diffusion processes taking place at the interface.

Atom probe microscopy of zinc isotopic enrichment in ZnO nanorods

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C. N. Ironside

2017-02-01

Full Text Available We report on atomic probe microscopy (APM of isotopically enriched ZnO nanorods that measures the spatial distribution of zinc isotopes in sections of ZnO nanorods for natural abundance natZnO and 64Zn and 66Zn enriched ZnO nanorods. The results demonstrate that APM can accurately quantify isotopic abundances within these nanoscale structures. Therefore the atom probe microscope is a useful tool for characterizing Zn isotopic heterostructures in ZnO. Isotopic heterostructures have been proposed for controlling thermal conductivity and also, combined with neutron transmutation doping, they could be key to a novel technology for producing p-n junctions in ZnO thin films and nanorods.

Vertically aligned ZnO nanorods on porous silicon substrates: Effect of growth time

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R. Shabannia

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Vertically aligned ZnO nanorods were successfully grown on porous silicon (PS substrates by chemical bath deposition at a low temperature. X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, and photoluminescence (PL analyses were carried out to investigate the effect of growth duration (2 h to 8 h on the optical and structural properties of the aligned ZnO nanorods. Strong and sharp ZnO (0 0 2 peaks of the ZnO nanorods proved that the aligned ZnO nanorods were preferentially fabricated along the c-axis of the hexagonal wurtzite structure. FESEM images demonstrated that the ZnO nanorod arrays were well aligned along the c-axis and perpendicular to the PS substrates regardless of the growth duration. The TEM image showed that the top surfaces of the ZnO nanorods were round with a smooth curvature. PL spectra demonstrated that the ZnO nanorods grown for 5 h exhibited the sharpest and most intense PL peaks within the ultraviolet range among all samples.

Ultrafast Formation of ZnO Nanorods via Seed-Mediated Microwave Assisted Hydrolysis Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, S T; Yahaya, M; Yap, C C; Umar, A A; Salleh, M M

2013-01-01

One dimensional (1D) zinc oxide, ZnO nanostructures have shown promising results for usage in photodiode and optoelectronic device due to their high surface area. Faster and conventional method for synthesis ZnO nanorods has become an attention for researcher today. In this paper, ZnO nanorods have been successfully synthesized via two-step process, namely alcothermal seeding and seed-mediated microwave hydrolysis process. In typical process, the ZnO nanoseeds were grown in the growth solution that contained equimolar (0.04 M) of zinc nitrate hexahydrate, Zn (NO 3 ).6H 2 O and hexamethylenetetramine, HMT. The growth process was carried inside the inverted microwave within 5- 20 s. The effect of growth parameters (i.e. concentration, microwave power, time reaction) upon the modification of ZnO morphology was studied. ZnO nanostructures were characterized by Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The densities of nanorods were evaluated by the Image J analysis. It was found that the morphology (e.g. shape and size) of nanostructures has changed drastically with the increment of growth solution concentration. The density of ZnO nanorods was proven to increase with the increasing of reaction time and microwave power. We hypothesize that the microwave power might enhance the rate of nucleation and promote the faster nanostructure growth as compared with the normal heating condition due to the superheating phenomenon. This method might promote a new and faster alternative way in nanostructure growth which can be applied in currently existing application.

Ultrafast Formation of ZnO Nanorods via Seed-Mediated Microwave Assisted Hydrolysis Process

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, S. T.; Umar, A. A.; Yahaya, M.; Yap, C. C.; Salleh, M. M.

2013-04-01

One dimensional (1D) zinc oxide, ZnO nanostructures have shown promising results for usage in photodiode and optoelectronic device due to their high surface area. Faster and conventional method for synthesis ZnO nanorods has become an attention for researcher today. In this paper, ZnO nanorods have been successfully synthesized via two-step process, namely alcothermal seeding and seed-mediated microwave hydrolysis process. In typical process, the ZnO nanoseeds were grown in the growth solution that contained equimolar (0.04 M) of zinc nitrate hexahydrate, Zn (NO3).6H2O and hexamethylenetetramine, HMT. The growth process was carried inside the inverted microwave within 5- 20 s. The effect of growth parameters (i.e. concentration, microwave power, time reaction) upon the modification of ZnO morphology was studied. ZnO nanostructures were characterized by Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The densities of nanorods were evaluated by the Image J analysis. It was found that the morphology (e.g. shape and size) of nanostructures has changed drastically with the increment of growth solution concentration. The density of ZnO nanorods was proven to increase with the increasing of reaction time and microwave power. We hypothesize that the microwave power might enhance the rate of nucleation and promote the faster nanostructure growth as compared with the normal heating condition due to the superheating phenomenon. This method might promote a new and faster alternative way in nanostructure growth which can be applied in currently existing application.

Synthesis of ZnO nanorods and observation of resistive switching memory in ZnO based polymer nanocomposites

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Manjula G.; Malakar, Meenakshi; Mohapatra, Saumya R.; Chowdhury, Avijit

2018-05-01

This research reports the observation of bipolar resistive switching memory in ZnO nanorod based polymer nanocomposites. We synthesized ZnO nanorods by wet-chemical method and characterized them using XRD, UV-VIS spectroscopy and SEM. The synthesized materials have hexagonal ZnO phase with grain size of 24 nm and having strong orientation along (101) direction as observed from XRD. The SEM micrograph confirms the formation of ZnO nanorods with diameter in the range of 10 to 20 nm and length of the order of 1 µm. From optical absorption spectra the band gap is estimated to be 2.42 eV. ZnO nanorods were dispersed in PVDF-HFP polymer matrix to prepare the nanocomposite. This nanocomposite was used as active layer in the devices having sandwich structure of ITO/PVDF-HFP+ZnO nanorods/Al. Bipolar non-volatile memory was observed with ON-OFF resistance ratio of the order of 103 and with a wide voltage window of 2.3V. The switching mechanism could be due to the trapping and de-trapping of electrons by the ZnO nanorods in the nanocomposite during ON and OFF states respectively.

Zinc oxide nanocolloids prepared by picosecond pulsed laser ablation in water at different temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

D'Urso, Luisa; Spadaro, Salvatore; Bonsignore, Martina; Santangelo, Saveria; Compagnini, Giuseppe; Neri, Fortunato; Fazio, Enza

2018-01-01

Zinc oxide with wide direct band gap and high exciton binding energy is one of the most promising materials for ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting devices. It further exhibits good performance in the degradation of non-biodegradable pollutants under UV irradiation. In this work, zinc oxide (ZnO) and zinc oxide/gold (ZnO/Au) nanocolloids are prepared by picosecond pulsed laser ablation (ps-PLA), using a Zn and Au metallic targets in water media at room temperature (RT) and 80°C. ZnO and Au nanoparticles (NPs) with size in the 10-50 nm range are obtained at RT, while ZnO nanorods (NRs) are formed when water is maintained at 80°C during the ps-PLA process. Au NPs, added to ZnO colloids after the ablation process, decorate ZnO NRs. The crystalline phase of all ZnO nanocolloids is wurtzite. Methylene blue dye is used to investigate the photo-catalytic activity of all the synthesised nanocolloids, under UV light irradiation.

Encapsulation of nanoparticles into single-crystal ZnO nanorods and microrods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinzhang Liu

2014-04-01

Full Text Available One-dimensional single crystal incorporating functional nanoparticles of other materials could be an interesting platform for various applications. We studied the encapsulation of nanoparticles into single-crystal ZnO nanorods by exploiting the crystal growth of ZnO in aqueous solution. Two types of nanodiamonds with mean diameters of 10 nm and 40 nm, respectively, and polymer nanobeads with size of 200 nm have been used to study the encapsulation process. It was found that by regrowing these ZnO nanorods with nanoparticles attached to their surfaces, a full encapsulation of nanoparticles into nanorods can be achieved. We demonstrate that our low-temperature aqueous solution growth of ZnO nanorods do not affect or cause degradation of the nanoparticles of either inorganic or organic materials. This new growth method opens the way to a plethora of applications combining the properties of single crystal host and encapsulated nanoparticles. We perform micro-photoluminescence measurement on a single ZnO nanorod containing luminescent nanodiamonds and the spectrum has a different shape from that of naked nanodiamonds, revealing the cavity effect of ZnO nanorod.

Characterization and development of ZnO nanoparticles as a photosensitizer for diagnostic and treatment of cancer using lasers (abstract)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Firdous, S.

2011-01-01

For over ongoing Biophotonics research we have characterized a cost expensive, and noninvasive Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (Np) and NRs of 11-15nm and nanorods (NRs) of 60-120nm diameter to use a photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer. Confocal microscopy and light polarization techniques were employed to characterize the samples. Confocal microscopy of well known photosensitizer 5-Aminolavlonic acid (ALA) with ZnO and ALA without ZnO significant changes were seen and verified ZnO is tissue non toxic in dark, but enhances endogenous fluorescence in human cells. The fluorescence of ZnO with ALA is prominent if compared with other images. We observed that in dark ZnO is biosafe, biocompatible but cell toxic in the presence of 635nm laser light. ZnO conjugated photo-sensitizers being toxic under exposure of suitable light for malignant cells, and can be used as cancer cell killing drug. Mechanism of cytotoxicity appears to involve the generation of singlet oxygen inside the cell. The novel findings of cell-localized toxicity indicate a potential application of ZnO NRs with and without ALA can be used as efficient drug carrier, biomarker in diagnostic clinical applications, while ZnO NRs can be an appealing candidate for the PDT treatment of malignant diseases epically cancer. (author)

Cu{sub 2}ZnSn(S,Se){sub 4} from Cu{sub x}SnS{sub y} nanoparticle precursors on ZnO nanorod arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kavalakkatt, Jaison, E-mail: jai.k@web.de [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fuer Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, D-14109 Berlin (Germany); Freie Universitaet Berlin, Berlin (Germany); Lin, Xianzhong; Kornhuber, Kai [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fuer Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, D-14109 Berlin (Germany); Kusch, Patryk [Freie Universitaet Berlin, Berlin (Germany); Ennaoui, Ahmed [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fuer Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, D-14109 Berlin (Germany); Reich, Stephanie [Freie Universitaet Berlin, Berlin (Germany); Lux-Steiner, Martha Ch. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fuer Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, D-14109 Berlin (Germany); Freie Universitaet Berlin, Berlin (Germany)

2013-05-01

Solar cells with Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} absorber thin films have a potential for high energy conversion efficiencies with earth-abundant and non-toxic elements. In this work the formation of CZTSSe from Cu{sub x}SnS{sub y} nanoparticles (NPs) deposited on ZnO nanorod (NR) arrays as precursors for zinc is investigated. The NPs are prepared using a chemical route and are dispersed in toluene. The ZnO NRs are grown on fluorine doped SnO{sub 2} coated glass substrates by electro deposition method. A series of samples are annealed at different temperatures between 300 °C and 550 °C in selenium containing argon atmosphere. To investigate the products of the reaction between the precursors the series is analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The morphology is recorded by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of broken cross sections. The XRD measurements and the SEM images show the disappearing of ZnO NRs with increasing annealing temperature. Simultaneously the XRD and Raman measurements show the formation of CZTSSe. The formation of secondary phases and the optimum conditions for the preparation of CZTSSe is discussed. - Highlights: ► Cu{sub x}SnS{sub y} nanoparticles are deposited on ZnO nanorod arrays. ► Samples are annealed at different temperatures (300–550 °C) in Se/Ar-atmosphere. ► Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy are performed. ► ZnO disappears with increasing annealing temperature. ► With increasing temperature Cu{sub x}SnS{sub y} and ZnO form Cu{sub 2}ZnSn(S,Se){sub 4}.

Hybrid nanostructure heterojunction solar cells fabricated using vertically aligned ZnO nanotubes grown on reduced graphene oxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Kaikun; Xu, Congkang; Huang, Liwei; Zou, Lianfeng; Wang, Howard

2011-10-07

Using reduced graphene oxide (rGO) films as the transparent conductive coating, inorganic/organic hybrid nanostructure heterojunction photovoltaic devices have been fabricated through hydrothermal synthesis of vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (ZnO-NRs) and nanotubes (ZnO-NTs) on rGO films followed by the spin casting of a poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) film. The data show that larger interfacial area in ZnO-NT/P3HT composites improves the exciton dissociation and the higher electrode conductance of rGO films helps the power output. This study offers an alternative to manufacturing nanostructure heterojunction solar cells at low temperatures using potentially low cost materials.

Solution-processed n-ZnO nanorod/p-Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoplate heterojunction light-emitting diode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jong-Woo; Lee, Su Jeong; Biswas, Pranab [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Tae Il [Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam Daero, Seongnam 13120 (Korea, Republic of); Myoung, Jae-Min, E-mail: jmmyoung@yonsei.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-06-01

Highlights: • The n-ZnO nanorods were epitaxially grown on p-Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoplates. • The heteroepitaxial p-n junction was fabricated by using hydrothermal process. • The LEDs emitted reddish-orange and violet light related to ZnO point defects. • The Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoplates function as a hole injection layer. • Junction between 1D NRs and 2D NPs provides a new approach to design nanostructures. - Abstract: A heterojunction light-emitting diode (LED) based on p-type cobalt oxide (Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}) nanoplates (NPs)/n-type zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) is demonstrated. Using a low-temperature aqueous solution process, the n-type ZnO NRs were epitaxially grown on Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} NPs which were two-dimensionally assembled by a modified Langmuir-Blodgett process. The heterojunction LEDs exhibited a typical rectifying behavior with a turn-on voltage of about 2 V and emitted not only reddish-orange light at 610 nm but also violet light at about 400 nm. From the comparative analyses of electroluminescence and photoluminescence, it was determined that the reddish-orange light emission was related to the electronic transitions from zinc interstitials (Zn{sub i}) to oxygen interstitials (O{sub i}) or conduction-band minimum (CBM) to oxygen vacancies (V{sub O}), and the violet light emission was attribute to the transition from CBM to valence-band maximum (VBM) or Zn{sub i} to zinc vacancies (V{sub Zn}).

Performance Improvement of GaN-Based Flip-Chip White Light-Emitting Diodes with Diffused Nanorod Reflector and with ZnO Nanorod Antireflection Layer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsin-Ying Lee

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The GaN-based flip-chip white light-emitting diodes (FCWLEDs with diffused ZnO nanorod reflector and with ZnO nanorod antireflection layer were fabricated. The ZnO nanorod array grown using an aqueous solution method was combined with Al metal to form the diffused ZnO nanorod reflector. It could avoid the blue light emitted out from the Mg-doped GaN layer of the FCWLEDs, which caused more blue light emitted out from the sapphire substrate to pump the phosphor. Moreover, the ZnO nanorod array was utilized as the antireflection layer of the FCWLEDs to reduce the total reflection loss. The light output power and the phosphor conversion efficiency of the FCWLEDs with diffused nanorod reflector and 250 nm long ZnO nanorod antireflection layer were improved from 21.15 mW to 23.90 mW and from 77.6% to 80.1% in comparison with the FCWLEDs with diffused nanorod reflector and without ZnO nanorod antireflection layer, respectively.

Growth of High-Density Zinc Oxide Nanorods on Porous Silicon by Thermal Evaporation

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Nurul Izni Rusli

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The formation of high-density zinc oxide (ZnO nanorods on porous silicon (PS substrates at growth temperatures of 600–1000 °C by a simple thermal evaporation of zinc (Zn powder in the presence of oxygen (O2 gas was systematically investigated. The high-density growth of ZnO nanorods with (0002 orientation over a large area was attributed to the rough surface of PS, which provides appropriate planes to promote deposition of Zn or ZnOx seeds as nucleation sites for the subsequent growth of ZnO nanorods. The geometrical morphologies of ZnO nanorods are determined by the ZnOx seed structures, i.e., cluster or layer structures. The flower-like hexagonal-faceted ZnO nanorods grown at 600 °C seem to be generated from the sparsely distributed ZnOx nanoclusters. Vertically aligned hexagonal-faceted ZnO nanorods grown at 800 °C may be inferred from the formation of dense arrays of ZnOx clusters. The formation of disordered ZnO nanorods formed at 1000 °C may due to the formation of a ZnOx seed layer. The growth mechanism involved has been described by a combination of self-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid (VLS and vapor-solid (VS mechanism. The results suggest that for a more precise study on the growth of ZnO nanostructures involving the introduction of seeds, the initial seed structures must be taken into account given their significant effects.

Diameter Control and Photoluminescence of ZnO Nanorods from Trialkylamines

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Tamar Andelman

2007-01-01

Full Text Available A novel solution method to control the diameter of ZnO nanorods is reported. Small diameter (2-3 nm nanorods were synthesized from trihexylamine, and large diameter (50–80 nm nanorods were synthesized by increasing the alkyl chain length to tridodecylamine. The defect (green emission of the photoluminescence (PL spectra of the nanorods varies with diameter, and can thus be controlled by the diameter control. The small ZnO nanorods have strong green emission, while the large diameter nanorods exhibit a remarkably suppressed green band. We show that this observation supports surface oxygen vacancies as the defect that gives rise to the green emission.

Direct growth of CdSe nanorods on ITO substrates by co-anchoring of ZnO nanoparticles and ethylenediamine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Shangke; Xu Tingting; Venkatesan, Swaminathan; Qiao Qiquan

2012-01-01

To grow CdSe nanorods directly onto indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates, a ZnO buffer layer composed of nanoparticles with diameter of ∼30–40 nm was prepared by spin coating ZnO sol–gel solution onto the ITO substrates. CdSe nanorods were then successfully in situ grown onto ITO substrates with diameter of ∼30–40 nm and length of ∼120–160 nm using solvothermal method in which CdSe·0.5en (en = ethylenediamine) acted as solution precursor. The in situ synthesized CdSe nanorods were conformed and characterized by atomic force microscope and electron microscopy. The mechanism of such in situ CdSe growth was understood as ZnO nanoparticles anchored en onto ITO substrates, while en linked CdSe with ZnO.

Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) Fabricated with Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Nanpowders and Nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Suman

2018-03-01

Due to their high efficiencies, along with lower production costs, many researchers are working on dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) over last few decades as a substitute technology for nonconventional energy. Nanostructured ZnO has got many interesting properties such as wide band gap, large exciton binding energy, good exciton stability, and high breakdown strength, which are applicable as DSSC electrodes. This present work compares the device properties of DSSC fabricated using ZnO nanorods on a ZnO film and ZnO nanopowders. Different types of ZnO photoanode and dye combinations are used to study the stability and photovoltaic properties of the DSSC cell. The photovoltaic properties of the ZnO-based DSSC samples were systematically investigated. The photovoltaic properties of fabricated cell obtained are discussed in the light of band structure and density of states of different types of ZnO nanolayers. The ZnO nanorods fabricated through the sol-gel route have more uniform thickness resulting in enhanced photovoltaic properties of the fabricated device.

Structural interpretation of chemically synthesized ZnO nanorod and its application in lithium ion battery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kundu, Samapti; Sain, Sumanta; Yoshio, Masaki; Kar, Tanusree; Gunawardhana, Nanda; Pradhan, Swapan Kumar

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • ZnO nanorods are synthesized at room temperature via a simple chemical route. • Growth direction of ZnO nanorods has been determined along 〈0 0 2〉. • ZnO nanorods constructed anode shows a high discharge capacity in first cycle. • It retains good reversible capacity compared to other ZnO morphologies. - Abstract: ZnO nanorods are synthesized at room temperature via a simple chemical route without using any template or capping agent and its importance is evaluated as a suitable candidate for anode material in lithium ion battery. Structural and microstructure characterizations of these nanorods are made by analyzing the X-ray diffraction data employing the Rietveld method of powder structure refinement. It reveals that the ZnO nanorods are grown up with a preferred orientation and elongated along 〈0 0 2〉. FESEM images reveal that these uniform cylindrical shaped nanorods are of different lengths and diameters. These synthesized ZnO nanorods are tested as an anode material for lithium ion batteries. The nano grain size of the ZnO rods results in less volume expansion and/or contraction during the alloying/de-alloying process and causes in good cyclability. In addition, synthesized ZnO nanorods deliver high charge/discharge capacities compared to other reported ZnO materials

Structural interpretation of chemically synthesized ZnO nanorod and its application in lithium ion battery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kundu, Samapti; Sain, Sumanta [Materials Science Division, Department of Physics, The University of Burdwan, Golapbag, Burdwan 713104, West Bengal (India); Yoshio, Masaki [Advanced Research and Education Centre, Saga University, 1341 Yoga-machi, Saga 840-0047 (Japan); Kar, Tanusree [Department of Materials Science, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal (India); Gunawardhana, Nanda, E-mail: nandagunawardhana@pdn.ac.lk [International Research Centre, Senate Building, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400 (Sri Lanka); Pradhan, Swapan Kumar, E-mail: skpradhan@phys.buruniv.ac.in [Materials Science Division, Department of Physics, The University of Burdwan, Golapbag, Burdwan 713104, West Bengal (India)

2015-02-28

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • ZnO nanorods are synthesized at room temperature via a simple chemical route. • Growth direction of ZnO nanorods has been determined along 〈0 0 2〉. • ZnO nanorods constructed anode shows a high discharge capacity in first cycle. • It retains good reversible capacity compared to other ZnO morphologies. - Abstract: ZnO nanorods are synthesized at room temperature via a simple chemical route without using any template or capping agent and its importance is evaluated as a suitable candidate for anode material in lithium ion battery. Structural and microstructure characterizations of these nanorods are made by analyzing the X-ray diffraction data employing the Rietveld method of powder structure refinement. It reveals that the ZnO nanorods are grown up with a preferred orientation and elongated along 〈0 0 2〉. FESEM images reveal that these uniform cylindrical shaped nanorods are of different lengths and diameters. These synthesized ZnO nanorods are tested as an anode material for lithium ion batteries. The nano grain size of the ZnO rods results in less volume expansion and/or contraction during the alloying/de-alloying process and causes in good cyclability. In addition, synthesized ZnO nanorods deliver high charge/discharge capacities compared to other reported ZnO materials.

n-ZnO nanorods/p+-Si (111) heterojunction light emitting diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Jenn Kai; Shih, Jun Hong; Wu, Tian Chiuan; Meen, Teen Hang

2012-12-01

In this study, we report the effects of thermal annealing in nitrogen ambient on the optical and electrical properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod (NR) arrays for the application in light emission diodes (LED). The single-crystalline ZnO NR array was synthesized on p+-Si (111) substrate without seed layer using simple, low-cost, and low-temperature hydrothermal method. The substrate surface was functionalized by hydrofluoric acid and self-assembled monolayer of octadecyltrimethoxysilane ((CH3 (CH2)17Si(OCH3)3). ZnO NRs were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and micro-photoluminescence (micro-PL). The results of FESEM and XRD indicate that single crystalline ZnO NRs with (002) preferred orientation along the substrate surface is successfully grown on functionalized p+-Si (111) substrate. The current-voltage and electroluminescence (EL) characteristics of the LED show that the most suitable annealing temperature ranges from 400°C to 600°C. Both PL and EL spectra show broadband emissions, ultraviolet and visible (green-yellow) light. The white-like light emission is able to be observed by naked eyes.

UV and humidity sensing properties of ZnO nanorods prepared by the arc discharge method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, F; Futter, J; Markwitz, A; Kennedy, J

2009-01-01

The UV and humidity sensing properties of ZnO nanorods prepared by arc discharge have been studied. Scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy were carried out to analyze the morphology and optical properties of the as-synthesized ZnO nanorods. Proton induced x-ray emission was used to probe the impurities in the ZnO nanorods. A large quantity of high purity ZnO nanorod structures were obtained with lengths of 0.5-1 μm. The diameters of the as-synthesized ZnO nanorods were found to be between 40 and 400 nm. The nanorods interlace with each other, forming 3D networks which make them suitable for sensing application. The addition of a polymeric film-forming agent (BASF LUVISKOL VA 64) improved the conductivity, as it facilitates the construction of conducting networks. Ultrasonication helped to separate the ZnO nanorods and disperse them evenly through the polymeric agent. Improved photoconductivity was measured for a ZnO nanorod sensor annealed in air at 200 deg. C for 30 min. The ZnO nanorod sensors showed a UV-sensitive photoconduction, where the photocurrent increased by nearly four orders of magnitude from 2.7 x 10 -10 to 1.0 x 10 -6 A at 18 V under 340 nm UV illumination. High humidity sensitivity and good stability were also measured. The resistance of the ZnO nanorod sensor decreased almost linearly with increasing relative humidity (RH). The resistance of the ZnO nanorods changed by approximately five orders of magnitude from 4.35 x 10 11 Ω in dry air (7% RH) to about 4.95 x 10 6 Ω in 95% RH air. It is experimentally demonstrated that ZnO nanorods obtained by the arc discharge method show excellent performance and promise for applications in both UV and humidity sensors.

A two-step obtainment of quantum confinement in ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mofor, A C; El-Shaer, A; Suleiman, M; Bakin, A; Waag, A [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, D-38106 Braunschweig (Germany)

2006-10-14

ZnO nanorod-based single quantum well heterostructures were fabricated in a two-step process. Nanorods were first grown using vapour transport. Subsequently, high-quality ZnO/Zn{sub 0.85}Mg{sub 0.15}O heterostructures were grown on the nanorods using molecular beam epitaxy. The nanorods are well aligned along the c-axis of ZnO, as indicated by a very narrow rocking curve full width at half maximum. Quantum confinement was clearly observed within the ZnO well for different well widths. The quantum wells show photoluminescence peaks with a full width at half maximum as small as 15 meV.

16.1% Efficient Hysteresis-Free Mesostructured Perovskite Solar Cells Based on Synergistically Improved ZnO Nanorod Arrays

KAUST Repository

Mahmood, Khalid

2015-06-01

Significant efficiency improvements are reported in mesoscopic perovskite solar cells based on the development of a low-temperature solution-processed ZnO nanorod (NR) array exhibiting higher NR aspect ratio, enhanced electron density, and substantially reduced work function than conventional ZnO NRs. These features synergistically result in hysteresis-free, scan-independent, and stabilized devices with an efficiency of 16.1%. Electron-rich, nitrogen-doped ZnO (N:ZnO) NR-based electron transporting materials (ETMs) with enhanced electron mobility produced using ammonium acetate show consistently higher efficiencies by one to three power points than undoped ZnO NRs. Additionally, the preferential electrostatic interaction between the -nonpolar facets of N:ZnO and the conjugated polyelectrolyte polyethylenimine (PEI) has been relied on to promote the hydrothermal growth of high aspect ratio NR arrays and substantially improve the infiltration of the perovskite light absorber into the ETM. Using the same interactions, a conformal PEI coating on the electron-rich high aspect ratio N:ZnO NR arrays is -successfully applied, resulting in a favorable work function shift and altogether leading to the significant boost in efficiency from <10% up to >16%. These results largely surpass the state-of-the-art PCE of ZnO-based perovskite solar cells and highlight the benefits of synergistically combining mesoscale control with doping and surface modification. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Synthesis and properties of ZnO nanorods as ethanol gas sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirabbaszadeh, K; Mehrabian, M

2012-01-01

Uniform ZnO nanorods were synthesized via the sol-gel process under mild conditions in which different ZnO nanostructures have been prepared by changing the pH of growth solution. It was seen that the optimum nanorods were grown at pH 11.33. The prepared ZnO nanostructures and morphologies were characterized by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy measurements. The ZnO one-dimensional nanostructures were found to have a wurtzite hexagonal crystalline structure and grow along the [001] direction. The optimum nanorods were about 1 μm in length and less than 100 nm in diameter. The ZnO nanostructures have been tested for different concentrations and different operating temperatures for ethanol vapor in air and the surface resistance of the sensors has been evaluated as a function of different parameters. The gas sensor fabricated from ZnO nanorods grown in solution with a special pH exhibited good performance. The sensor response to 5000 ppm ethanol was up to about 2.5 at the operating temperature of 300 °C. The differences in gas-sensing performance between the sensors were analyzed based on the defects created in the nanorods during their fast growth. The correlations between material structures and the properties of the gas sensors are discussed.

Solvothermal synthesis of nanorods of ZnO, N-doped ZnO and CdO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varghese, Neenu; Panchakarla, L.S.; Hanapi, M.; Govindaraj, A.; Rao, C.N.R.

2007-01-01

ZnO nanorods with diameters in the 80-800 nm range are readily synthesized by the reaction of zinc acetate, ethanol and ethylenediamine under solvothermal conditions. The best products are obtained at 330 deg. C with a slow heating rate. Addition of the surfactant Triton -X 100 gave nanorods of uniform (300 nm) diameter. By adding a small amount of liquid NH 3 to the reaction mixture, N-doped ZnO nanorods, with distinct spectroscopic features are obtained. CdO nanorods of 80 nm diameter have been prepared under solvothermal conditions using a mixture of cadmium cupferronate, ethylenediamine and ethanol at 330 deg. C. Similarly, Zn 1-x Cd x O nanorods of a 70 nm diameter are obtained under solvothermal conditions starting with a mixture of zinc acetate, cadmium cupferronate, ethanol and ethylenediamine

Effect of phosphorus incorporation on morphology and optical properties of ZnO nanorods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Donghua; Zhang, Rong; Wang, Xianghu

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: XPS spectra of the P-doped ZnO nanorods: (a) Zn 2p, (b) O 1s, and (c) P 2p spectra. The red curve in c is the Gauss-fitting curve. (d) Raman spectra of P-doped (curve 1) and pure (curve 2) ZnO nanorods. Research highlights: → P-doped ZnO nanorods have been prepared on Si substrates without any catalyst. → The introduction of phosphorus leads to the growth of tapered tip in the nanorods. → The formation of tapered tip is attributed to the relaxation of the lattice strain along the radial direction. → The strong ultraviolet peak is connected with the phosphorus acceptor-related emissions. -- Abstract: Phosphorus-doped ZnO nanorods have been prepared on Si substrates by thermal evaporation process without any catalyst. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectra indicate that phosphorus entering into ZnO nanorods mainly occupies Zn site rather than O one. The introduction of phosphorus leads to the morphological changes of nanorods from hexagonal tip to tapered one, which should be attributed to the relaxation of the lattice strain caused by phosphorus occupying Zn site along the radial direction. Transmission electron microscopy shows that phosphorus-doped ZnO nanorods still are single crystal and grow along [0 0 0 1] direction. The effect of phosphorous dopant on optical properties of ZnO nanorods also is studied by the temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectra, which indicates that the strong ultraviolet emission is connected with the phosphorus acceptor-related emissions.

Effect of growth time to the properties of Al-doped ZnO nanorod arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Ismail, A. S.; Mamat, M. H.; Malek, M. F.; Saidi, S. A.; Yusoff, M. M.; Mohamed, R.; Sin, N. D. Md; Suriani, A. B.; Rusop, M.

2018-05-01

Aluminum (Al)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod array films were successfully deposited at different growth time on zinc oxide (ZnO) seed layer coated glass substrate using sol-gel immersion method. The morphology images of the films showed that the thicknesses of the films were increased parallel with the increment of growth period. The surface topology of the films displayed an increment of roughness as the growth period increased. Optical properties of the samples exposed that the percentage of transmittances reduced at higher growth time. Besides, the Urbach energy of the films slightly increased as the immersion time increased. The current-voltage (I-V) measurement indicated that the resistance increased as the immersion time increased owing to the appearance of intrinsic layer on top of the nanorods.

Synthesis of reduced graphene oxide/ZnO nanorods composites on graphene coated PET flexible substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Lei; Guo, Guilue; Liu, Yang; Chang, Quanhong; Shi, Wangzhou

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • ZnO nanorods synthesized on CVD-graphene and rGO surfaces, respectively. • ZnO/CVD-graphene and ZnO/rGO form a distinctive porous 3D structure. • rGO/ZnO nanostructures possibility in energy storage devices. - Abstract: In this work, reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/ZnO nanorods composites were synthesized on graphene coated PET flexible substrates. Both chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) films were prepared following by hydrothermal growth of vertical aligned ZnO nanorods. Reduced graphene sheets were then spun coated on the ZnO materials to form a three dimensional (3D) porous nanostructure. The morphologies of the ZnO/CVD graphene and ZnO/rGO were investigated by SEM, which shows that the ZnO nanorods grown on rGO are larger in diameters and have lower density compared with those grown on CVD graphene substrate. As a result of fact, the rough surface of nano-scale ZnO on rGO film allows rGO droplets to seep into the large voids of ZnO nanorods, then to form the rGO/ZnO hierarchical structure. By comparison of the different results, we conclude that rGO/ZnO 3D nanostructure is more desirable for the application of energy storage devices

Gas-sensing behaviour of ZnO/diamond nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Davydova, Marina; Laposa, Alexandr; Smarhak, Jiri; Kromka, Alexander; Neykova, Neda; Nahlik, Josef; Kroutil, Jiri; Drahokoupil, Jan; Voves, Jan

2018-01-01

Microstructured single- and double-layered sensor devices based on p-type hydrogen-terminated nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films and/or n-type ZnO nanorods (NRs) have been obtained via a facile microwave-plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition process or a hydrothermal growth procedure. The morphology and crystal structure of the synthesized materials was analysed with scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction measurements and Raman spectroscopy. The gas sensing properties of the sensors based on i) NCD films, ii) ZnO nanorods, and iii) hybrid ZnO NRs/NCD structures were evaluated with respect to oxidizing (i.e., NO 2 , CO 2 ) and reducing (i.e., NH 3 ) gases at 150 °C. The hybrid ZnO NRs/NCD sensor showed a remarkably enhanced NO 2 response compared to the ZnO NRs sensor. Further, inspired by this special hybrid structure, the simulation of interaction between the gas molecules (NO 2 and CO 2 ) and hybrid ZnO NRs/NCD sensor was studied using DFT calculations.

ZnO-Nanorod Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: New Structure without a Transparent Conducting Oxide Layer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Hong Lai

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Conventional nanorod-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs are fabricated by growing nanorods on top of a transparent conducting oxide (TCO, typically fluorine-doped tin oxide—FTO. The heterogeneous interface between the nanorod and TCO forms a source for carrier scattering. This work reports on a new DSSC architecture without a TCO layer. The TCO-less structure consists of ZnO nanorods grown on top of a ZnO film. The ZnO film replaced FTO as the TCO layer and the ZnO nanorods served as the photoanode. The ZnO nanorod/film structure was grown by two methods: (1 one-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD (2 two-step chemical bath deposition (CBD. The thicknesses of the nanorods/film grown by CVD is more uniform than that by CBD. We demonstrate that the TCO-less DSSC structure can operate properly as solar cells. The new DSSCs yield the best short-current density of 3.96 mA/cm2 and a power conversion efficiency of 0.73% under 85 mW/cm2 of simulated solar illumination. The open-circuit voltage of 0.80 V is markedly higher than that from conventional ZnO DSSCs.

Constructing MnO{sub 2}/single crystalline ZnO nanorod hybrids with enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Weiwei [College of Physics and Electronic Science, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114 (China); Liu, Tiangui, E-mail: tianguiliu@gmail.com [College of Physics and Microelectronics Science, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Cao, Shiyi; Wang, Chen [College of Physics and Electronic Science, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114 (China); Chen, Chuansheng, E-mail: 1666423158@qq.com [College of Physics and Electronic Science, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114 (China)

2016-07-15

In order to improve the photocatalytic and antibacterial activity of ZnO nanorods, ZnO nanorods decorated with MnO{sub 2} nanoparticles (MnO{sub 2}/ZnO nanorod hybrids) were prepared by using microwave assisted coprecipitation method under the influence of hydrogen peroxide, and the structure, photocatalytic activity and antibacterial property of the products were studied. Experimental results indicated that MnO{sub 2} nanoparticles are decorated on the surface of single crystalline ZnO nanorods. Moreover, the resultant MnO{sub 2}/ZnO nanorod hybrids have been proven to possess good photocatalytic and antibacterial activity, which their degradated efficiency for Rhodamin B (RhB) is twice as the pure ZnO nanorods. Enhancement for photocatalytic and antibacterial activity is mainly attributed to the low band gap energy and excellent electrochemical properties of MnO{sub 2} nanoparticles. - Graphical abstract: The MnO{sub 2}/single crystalline ZnO nanorods hybrids, which MnO{sub 2} nanoparticles are loaded on the surface of ZnO nanorods, were prepared by the step-by-step precipitation method under the assistance of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. Display Omitted - Highlights: • MnO{sub 2}/ZnO nanorod hybrids were prepared by the step-by-step assembly method. • Single crystalline ZnO nanorods can be decorated by MnO{sub 2} nanoparticles. • MnO{sub 2}/ZnO nanorod hybrids possess good photocatalytic and antibacterial activity. • MnO{sub 2} can improve the photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanorods under visible light.

Fast vertical growth of ZnO nanorods using a modified chemical bath deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Tae-hyun [Department of Nano Systems Engineering, Center for Nano Manufacturing, Inje University, Obang-dong, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-749 (Korea, Republic of); Ryu, Hyukhyun, E-mail: hhryu@inje.ac.kr [Department of Nano Systems Engineering, Center for Nano Manufacturing, Inje University, Obang-dong, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-749 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Won-Jae [Department of Materials and Components Engineering, Dong-Eui University, 995 Eomgwangno, Busanjin-gu, Busan 614-714 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-06-01

Highlights: • We grew vertical ZnO nanorods by a modified CBD process with a fast growth rate. • We studied the effects of the CBD process by varying growth temperature, time, and concentration. • The ZnO nanorods grown by the modified CBD showed good morphological and structural properties. - Abstract: In this study, we grew vertical ZnO nanorods on seeded Si (1 0 0) substrates using a modified chemical bath deposition (CBD). We investigated the effects of the growth temperature, growth time and concentration on the morphological and structural properties of the ZnO nanorods using field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and X-ray diffraction. This modified CBD method shows improved results over conventional CBD. ZnO nanorods with good structural XRD properties were grown with a very fast growth rate in a wide range of growth conditions and did not require post-growth annealing.

Surfactant controlled low-temperature thermal decomposition route to zinc oxide nanorods from zinc(II) acetylacetonate monohydrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Purkayastha, Debraj Dhar; Sarma, Bedabrat; Bhattacharjee, Chira R., E-mail: crbhattacharjee@rediffmail.com

2014-10-15

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were synthesized via a low-temperature thermal decomposition of zinc(II) acetylacetonate monohydrate, [Zn(C{sub 5}H{sub 7}O{sub 2}){sub 2}].H{sub 2}O. A relatively inexpensive surfactant, octadecylamine (C{sub 18}H{sub 37}NH{sub 2}) served both as a reaction solvent and a capping agent during the synthesis of ZnO nanorods. The synthesized nanorods were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FT-IR, UV–visible, and photoluminescence (PL) studies. The XRD spectrum furnished evidence for the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO. TEM images revealed the material to be rod shaped having diameter 30 nm and length 200 nm. The HRTEM image showed that the lattice fringes between the two adjacent planes are 0.244 nm apart, which corresponds to the interplanar separation of the (1 0 1) plane of hexagonal ZnO. The electron diffraction (ED) pattern confirmed the single crystalline nature of the nanorods. The PL spectrum showed two UV emissions at 356 nm (∼3.48 eV) and 382 nm (∼3.25 eV). ZnO nanorods also showed very weak blue bands at 445, 453 and 470 nm. - Highlights: Low temperature thermal decomposition of zinc(II) acetylacetonate monohydrate gave zinc oxide nanorods. Powder XRD showed hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO having average diameter about 24 nm. TEM images revealed the material to be of rod shape having diameter 30 nm and length 200 nm. ZnO showed band gap luminescence at 356 nm, excitonic emission at 382 nm and defect related blue bands. The synthesis is simple and can act as a paradigm for obtaining various metal oxide nanomaterials.

A Comparative Study on Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO Micro-Nanorod Arrays Grown on Seed Layers Using Chemical Bath Deposition and Spin Coating Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sibel MORKOÇ KARADENİZ

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In this study, Zinc Oxide (ZnO seed layers were prepared on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO substrates by using Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD method and Sol-gel Spin Coating (SC method. ZnO micro-nanorod arrays were grown on ZnO seed layers by using Hydrothermal Synthesis method. Seed layer effects of structural and optical properties of ZnO arrays were characterized. X-ray diffractometer (XRD, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM and Ultraviolet Visible (UV-Vis Spectrometer were used for analyses. ZnO micro-nanorod arrays consisted of a single crystalline wurtzite ZnO structure for each seed layer. Besides, ZnO rod arrays were grown smoothly and vertically on SC seed layer, while ZnO rod arrays were grown randomly and flower like structures on CBD seed layer. The optical absorbance peaks found at 422 nm wavelength in the visible region for both ZnO arrays. Optical bandgap values were determined by using UV-Vis measurements at 3.12 and 3.15 eV for ZnO micro-nanorod arrays on CBD seed layer and for ZnO micro-nanorod arrays on SC-seed layer respectively.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.22.4.13443

Optical and magneto-optical properties of zinc-oxide nanostructures grown by the low-temperature chemical route

Science.gov (United States)

Willander, M.; Alnoor, H.; Savoyant, A.; Adam, Rania E.; Nur, O.

2018-02-01

We demonstrate that the low temperature synthesis chemical route can be utilized to control the functionality of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) and nanorods (NRs) for optical and magneto-optical performance. Different structural, optical, electro- and magneto-optical results will be displayed and analyzed. In the first part, we show how high quality ZnO NPs can be efficient for photodegradation using ultra-violet radiation. In the second part we will present our recent results on the control of the core defects in cobalt doped ZnO NR. Here and by using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements, the substitution of Co2+ ions in the ZnO NRs crystal is shown. The relation between the incorporation and core defects concentration will be discussed. The findings give access to the magnetic anisotropy of ZnO NRs grown by the low temperature chemical route and can lead to demonstrate room temperature ferromagnetism in nanostructures with potential for different device applications.

Sprayed zinc oxide films: Ultra-violet light-induced reversible surface wettability and platinum-sensitization-assisted improved liquefied petroleum gas response.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakate, Umesh T; Patil, Pramila; Bulakhe, R N; Lokhande, C D; Kale, Sangeeta N; Naushad, Mu; Mane, Rajaram S

2016-10-15

We report the rapid (superhydrophobic to superhydrophilic) transition property and improvement in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sensing response of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) on UV-irradiation and platinum (Pt) surface sensitization, respectively. The morphological evolution of ZnO NRs is evidenced from the field emission scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope digital images and for the structural elucidation X-ray diffraction pattern is used. Elemental survey mapping is obtained from energy dispersive X-ray analysis spectrum. The optical properties have been studied by UV-Visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy measurements. The rapid (120sec) conversion of superhydrophobic (154°) ZnO NRs film to superhydrophilic (7°) is obtained under UV light illumination and the superhydrophobicity is regained by storing sample in dark. The mechanism for switching wettability behavior of ZnO NRs has thoroughly been discussed. In second phase, Pt-sensitized ZnO NRs film has demonstrated considerable gas sensitivity at 260ppm concentration of LPG. At 623K operating temperature, the maximum LPG response of 58% and the response time of 49sec for 1040ppm LPG concentration of Pt- sensitized ZnO NRs film are obtained. This higher LPG response of Pt-sensitized ZnO NRs film over pristine is primarily due to electronic effect and catalytic effect (spill-over effect) caused by an additional of Pt on ZnO NRs film surface. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Controllable synthesis of periodic flower-like ZnO nanostructures on Si subwavelength grating structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ko, Yeong Hwan; Leem, Jung Woo; Yu, Jae Su

2011-01-01

We report on the periodic well-defined flower-like zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures (NSs) self-assembled through a simple hydrothermal method using silicon (Si) subwavelength grating (SWG) structures. The Si SWGs serve as building blocks for constructing a two-dimensional (2D) periodic architecture to integrate the one-dimensional (1D) ZnO NSs. Various controlled morphologies of ZnO NSs with high crystallinity are obtained by changing the growth conditions. For 1D ZnO NSs integrated on periodic hexagonal Si SWG structures, the reflection characteristics are investigated in comparison with the conventional ZnO nanorod (NR) arrays. For a three-dimensional (3D) flower-like ZnO NS on Si SWGs, a relatively low total reflectance of < 8% at wavelengths of 300-1050 nm is achieved compared to the ZnO NRs on Si substrate.

Effects of ZnO Seed Layers Prepared with Various Precursor Concentrations on Structural and Defect Emission Properties of ZnO Nanorods Grown by Hydrothermal Method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Soaram; Nam, Giwoong; Leem, Jae-Young; Kim, Yangsoo [Inje University, Gimhae (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ghun Sik; Yoon, Sung Pil [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2013-07-15

ZnO nanorods were grown by a hydrothermal method on ZnO seed layers that had previously been prepared from solutions containing various precursor concentrations. The effects of the ZnO seed layers prepared with various precursor concentrations on the structural and defect emissions of the ZnO nanorods were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The surface morphology of the ZnO seed layers changed with an increasing precursor concentration, and the diameters and densities of the ZnO nanorods depended on the morphologies of the ZnO seed layers. The ZnO seed layers prepared with various precursor concentrations affected the residual stress in the nanorods grown on the seed layers, the intensity and full widths at half maximum of the 2-theta angle in the XRD spectra for the nanorods, and the intensity and position of the defect emission peak in deep-level emission (DLE) PL spectra for the ZnO nanorods.

Effects of growth duration on the structural and optical properties of ZnO nanorods grown on seed-layer ZnO/polyethylene terephthalate substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Y.I.; Shin, C.M.; Heo, J.H. [Department of Nano Systems Engineering, Center for Nano Manufacturing Inje University, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-749 (Korea, Republic of); Ryu, H., E-mail: hhryu@inje.ac.kr [Department of Nano Systems Engineering, Center for Nano Manufacturing Inje University, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-749 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, W.J. [Department of Nano Engineering, Dong-Eui University, Busan 614-714 (Korea, Republic of); Chang, J.H. [Major of Nano Semiconductor, Korea Maritime University, Busan 606-791 (Korea, Republic of); Son, C.S. [Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Yun, J. [Department of Nano Science and Engineering, Institute of Advanced Materials Kyungnam University, Changwon, Gyeongnam 631-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2011-10-01

Well-aligned single crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were successfully grown, by hydrothermal synthesis at a low temperature, on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates with a seed layer. Photoluminescence (PL), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurements were used to analyze the optical and structural properties of ZnO nanorods grown for various durations from 0.5 h to 10 h. Regular and well-aligned ZnO nanorods with diameters ranging from 62 nm to 127 nm and lengths from 0.3 {mu}m to 1.65 {mu}m were formed after almost 5 h of growth. The growth rate of ZnO grown on PET substrates is lower than that grown on Si (1 0 0) substrates. Enlarged TEM images show that the tips of the ZnO nanorods grown for 6 h have a round shape, whereas the tips grown for 10 h are sharpened. The crystal properties of ZnO nanorods can be tuned by using the growth duration as a growth condition. The XRD and PL results indicate that the structural and optical properties of the ZnO nanorods are most improved after 5 h and 6 h of growth, respectively.

ZnO nanorods/AZO photoanode for perovskite solar cells fabricated in ambient air

Science.gov (United States)

La Ferrara, Vera; De Maria, Antonella; Rametta, Gabriella; Della Noce, Marco; Vittoria Mercaldo, Lucia; Borriello, Carmela; Bruno, Annalisa; Delli Veneri, Paola

2017-08-01

ZnO nanorods are a good candidate for replacing standard photoanodes, such as TiO2, in perovskite solar cells and in principle superseding the high performances already obtained. This is possible because ZnO nanorods have a fast electron transport rate due to their large surface area. An array of ZnO nanorods is grown by chemical bath deposition starting from Al-doped ZnO (AZO) used both as a seed layer and as an efficient transparent anode in the visible spectral range. In particular, in this work we fabricate methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) perovskite solar cells using glass/AZO/ZnO nanorods/perovskite/Spiro-OMeTAD/Au as the architecture. The growth of ZnO nanorods has been optimized by varying the precursor concentrations, growth time and solution temperature. All the fabrication process and photovoltaic characterizations have been carried out in ambient air and the devices have not been encapsulated. Power conversion efficiency as high as 7.0% has been obtained with a good stability over 20 d. This is the highest reported value to the best of our knowledge and it is a promising result for the development of perovskite solar cells based on ZnO nanorods and AZO.

ZnO nanorod arrays grown under different pressures and their photoluminescence properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meng Xiuqing [Key Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 East Nan-Hu Road, Open Economic ZoneChangchun 130033 (China); Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (China); Zhao Dongxu [Key Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 East Nan-Hu Road, Open Economic ZoneChangchun 130033 (China)]. E-mail: dxzhao2000@yahoo.com.cn; Shen Dezhen [Key Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 East Nan-Hu Road, Open Economic ZoneChangchun 130033 (China); Zhang Jiying [Key Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 East Nan-Hu Road, Open Economic ZoneChangchun 130033 (China); Li Binghui [Key Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 East Nan-Hu Road, Open Economic ZoneChangchun 130033 (China); Wang Xiaohua [National Key Laboratory of High Power Semiconductor Laser, Changchun University of Science and technology, 7089 Weixing Road Changchun (China); Fan Xiwu [Key Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 East Nan-Hu Road, Open Economic ZoneChangchun 130033 (China)

2007-01-15

The ZnO nanorod arrays were synthesized via a simple vapor deposition method on Si (1 1 1) substrates at a low growth temperature of 520 deg. C. By selecting different source materials under different growth pressures, well-aligned hexagonal-shaped ZnO nanorod arrays were obtained under both conditions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the nanorods are c-axis orientated. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis demonstrated the individual nanorod is single crystal. Photoluminescence (PL) analyses show the superior optical properties of the nanorod arrays.

ZnO nanorod arrays grown under different pressures and their photoluminescence properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng Xiuqing; Zhao Dongxu; Shen Dezhen; Zhang Jiying; Li Binghui; Wang Xiaohua; Fan Xiwu

2007-01-01

The ZnO nanorod arrays were synthesized via a simple vapor deposition method on Si (1 1 1) substrates at a low growth temperature of 520 deg. C. By selecting different source materials under different growth pressures, well-aligned hexagonal-shaped ZnO nanorod arrays were obtained under both conditions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the nanorods are c-axis orientated. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis demonstrated the individual nanorod is single crystal. Photoluminescence (PL) analyses show the superior optical properties of the nanorod arrays

Impact of first-step potential and time on the vertical growth of ZnO nanorods on ITO substrate by two-step electrochemical deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Tae Gyoum; Jang, Jin-Tak; Ryu, Hyukhyun; Lee, Won-Jae

2013-01-01

Highlights: •We grew vertical ZnO nanorods on ITO substrate using a two-step continuous potential process. •The nucleation for the ZnO nanorods growth was changed by first-step potential and duration. •The vertical ZnO nanorods were well grown when first-step potential was −1.2 V and 10 s. -- Abstract: In this study, we analyzed the growth of ZnO nanorods on an ITO (indium doped tin oxide) substrate by electrochemical deposition using a two-step, continuous potential process. We examined the effect of changing the first-step potential as well as the first-step duration on the morphological, structural and optical properties of ZnO nanorods, measured via using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL), respectively. As a result, vertical ZnO nanorods were grown on ITO substrate without the need for a template when the first-step potential was set to −1.2 V for a duration of 10 s, and the second-step potential was set to −0.7 V for a duration of 1190 s. The ZnO nanorods on this sample showed the highest XRD (0 0 2)/(1 0 0) peak intensity ratio and the highest PL near band edge emission to deep level emission peak intensity ratio (NBE/DLE). In this study, the nucleation for vertical ZnO nanorod growth on an ITO substrate was found to be affected by changes in the first-step potential and first-step duration

Photoelectrochemical properties of the TiO2-ZnO nanorod hierarchical structure prepared by hydrothermal process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bao SUN

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In order to increase the transport channels of the photogenerated electrons and enhance the photosensitizer loading ability of the electrode, a new TiO2-ZnO nanorod hierarchical structure is prepared through two-step hydrothermal process. First, TiO2 nanorod array is grown on the FTO conductive glass substrate by hydrothermal proess. Then, ZnO sol is coated onto the TiO2 nanorods through dip-coating method and inverted to ZnO seed layer by sintering. Finally, the secondary ZnO nanorods are grown onto the TiO2 nanorods by the sencond hydrothermal method to form the designed TiO2-ZnO nanorod hierarchical structure. A spin-coating assisted successive ionic layer reaction method (SC-SILR is used to deposit the CdS nanocrystals into the TiO2 nanorod array and the TiO2-ZnO nanorod hierarchical structure is used to form the CdS/TiO2 and CdS/TiO2-ZnO nanocomposite films. Different methods, such as SEM, TEM, XRD, UV-Vis and transient photocurrent, are employed to characterize and measure the morphologies, structures, light absorption and photoelectric conversion performance of all the samples, respectively. The results indicate that, compared with the pure TiO2 nanorod array, the TiO2-ZnO nanorod hierarchical structure can load more CdS photosensitizer. The light absorption properties and transient photocurrent performance of the CdS/TiO2-ZnO nanorod hierarchical structure composite film are evidently superior to that of the CdS/TiO2 nanocomposite films. The excellent photoelctrochemical performance of theTiO2-ZnO hierarchical structure reveales its application prospect in photoanode material of the solar cells.

Current-transport studies and trap extraction of hydrothermally grown ZnO nanotubes using gold Schottky diode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amin, G.; Hussain, I.; Zaman, S.; Bano, N.; Nur, O.; Willander, M. [Department of Science and Technology, Campus Norrkoeping, Linkoeping University, 60174 Norrkoeping (Sweden)

2010-03-15

High-quality zinc oxide (ZnO) nanotubes (NTs) were grown by the hydrothermal technique on n-Si substrate. The room temperature (RT) current-transport mechanisms of Au Schottky diodes fabricated from ZnO NTs and nanorods (NRs) reference samples have been studied and compared. The tunneling mechanisms via deep-level states was found to be the main conduction process at low applied voltage but at the trap-filled limit voltage (V{sub TFL}) all traps were filled and the space-charge-limited current conduction was the dominating current-transport mechanism. The deep-level trap energy and the trap concentration for the NTs were obtained as {proportional_to}0.27 eV and 2.1 x 10{sup 16} cm{sup -3}, respectively. The same parameters were also extracted for the ZnO NRs. The deep-level states observed crossponds to zinc interstitials (Zn{sub i}), which are responsible for the violet emission. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

ZnO nanorod array solid phase micro-extraction fiber coating: fabrication and extraction capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Dan; Zhang Zhuomin; Li Tiemei; Zhang Lan; Chen Guonan; Luo Lin

2009-01-01

In this paper, a ZnO nanorod array has been introduced as a coating to the headspace solid phase micro-extraction (HSSPME) field. The coating shows good extraction capability for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by use of BTEX as a standard and can be considered suitable for sampling trace and small molecular VOC targets. In comparison with the randomly oriented ZnO nanorod HSSPME coating, ZnO nanorod array HSSPME fiber coating shows better extraction capability, which is attributed to the nanorod array structure of the coating. Also, this novel nanorod array coating shows good extraction selectivity to 1-propanethiol.

Zinc oxide nanorod clusters deposited seaweed cellulose sheet for antimicrobial activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhutiya, Priyank L; Mahajan, Mayur S; Abdul Rasheed, M; Pandey, Manoj; Zaheer Hasan, S; Misra, Nirendra

2018-06-01

Seaweed cellulose was isolated from green seaweed Ulva fasciata using a common bleaching agent. Sheet containing porous mesh was prepared from the extracted seaweed crystalline cellulose along with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod clusters grown over the sheet by single step hydrothermal method. Seaweed cellulose and zinc oxide nanorod clusters deposited seaweed cellulose sheet was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, TGA, and SEM-EDX. Morphology showed that the diameter of zinc oxide nanorods were around 70nm. Zinc oxide nanorod clusters deposited on seaweed cellulose sheet gave remarkable antibacterial activity towards gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus ceresus, Streptococcus thermophilis) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginous) microbes. Such deposited sheet has potential applications in pharmaceutical, biomedical, food packaging, water treatment and biotechnological industries. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Controllable growth and magnetic properties of nickel nanoclusters electrodeposited on the ZnO nanorod template

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Yang; Zhao Dongxu; Shen Dezhen; Zhang Jiying; Wang Xiaohua

2009-01-01

The ZnO nanorods were used as a template to fabricate nickel nanoclusters by electrodeposition. The ZnO nanorod arrays act as a nano-semiconductor electrode for depositing metallic and magnetic nickel nanoclusters. The growth sites of Ni nanoclusters could be controlled by adjusting the applied potential. Under -1.15 V the Ni nanoclusters could be grown on the tips of ZnO nanorods. On increasing the potential to be more negative the ZnO nanorods were covered by Ni nanoclusters. The magnetic properties of the electrodeposited Ni nanoclusters also evolved with the applied potentials.

Controllable growth and magnetic properties of nickel nanoclusters electrodeposited on the ZnO nanorod template

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tang Yang; Zhao Dongxu; Shen Dezhen; Zhang Jiying [Key Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 East Nan-Hu Road, Open Economic Zone, Changchun 130033 (China); Wang Xiaohua, E-mail: dxzhao2000@yahoo.com.c [National Key Laboratory of High Power Semiconductor Laser, Changchun University of Science and Technology, 7089 WeiXing Road, ChangChun 130022 (China)

2009-12-09

The ZnO nanorods were used as a template to fabricate nickel nanoclusters by electrodeposition. The ZnO nanorod arrays act as a nano-semiconductor electrode for depositing metallic and magnetic nickel nanoclusters. The growth sites of Ni nanoclusters could be controlled by adjusting the applied potential. Under -1.15 V the Ni nanoclusters could be grown on the tips of ZnO nanorods. On increasing the potential to be more negative the ZnO nanorods were covered by Ni nanoclusters. The magnetic properties of the electrodeposited Ni nanoclusters also evolved with the applied potentials.

A patterned ZnO nanorod array/gas sensor fabricated by mechanoelectrospinning-assisted selective growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaomei; Sun, Fazhe; Huang, Yongan; Duan, Yongqing; Yin, Zhouping

2015-02-21

Micropatterned ZnO nanorod arrays were fabricated by the mechanoelectrospinning-assisted direct-writing process and the hydrothermal growth process, and utilized as gas sensors that exhibited excellent Ohmic behavior and sensitivity response to oxidizing gas NO2 at low concentrations (1-100 ppm).

Enhancement of ZnO nanorod arrays-based inverted type hybrid organic solar cell using spin-coated Eosin-Y

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, Eng Liang; Yap, Chi Chin; Yahaya, Muhammad; Salleh, Muhamad Mat

2013-01-01

This paper reports the effect of Eosin-Y coating concentration on the performance of inverted type hybrid organic solar cell based on ZnO nanorod arrays and poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT). The Eosin-Y solution with concentrations of 0.05, 0.2, 2.0 and 5.0 mM was spin-coated onto the ZnO nanorod arrays grown on the fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrate. The P3HT film was then spin-coated onto Eosin-Y-coated ZnO nanorod arrays, followed by deposition of silver (Ag) as anode using magnetron sputtering technique. The short circuit current density increased with the Eosin-Y coating concentration up to 0.2 mM, after which it started to decrease, mainly due to the aggregation of Eosin-Y which reduced the charge extraction from P3HT to ZnO. Meanwhile, the open circuit voltage increased with the Eosin-Y coating concentration, indicating reduced back charge recombination of electron on the ZnO and hole on the P3HT, as well as reduced leakage current through the direct contact between the ZnO nanorods and the Ag metal contact. The power conversion efficiency of the device with the optimum coating concentration was approximately eight times higher than that without Eosin-Y modification. (paper)

Enhancement of ZnO nanorod arrays-based inverted type hybrid organic solar cell using spin-coated Eosin-Y

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Eng Liang; Yap, Chi Chin; Yahaya, Muhammad; Mat Salleh, Muhamad

2013-04-01

This paper reports the effect of Eosin-Y coating concentration on the performance of inverted type hybrid organic solar cell based on ZnO nanorod arrays and poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT). The Eosin-Y solution with concentrations of 0.05, 0.2, 2.0 and 5.0 mM was spin-coated onto the ZnO nanorod arrays grown on the fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrate. The P3HT film was then spin-coated onto Eosin-Y-coated ZnO nanorod arrays, followed by deposition of silver (Ag) as anode using magnetron sputtering technique. The short circuit current density increased with the Eosin-Y coating concentration up to 0.2 mM, after which it started to decrease, mainly due to the aggregation of Eosin-Y which reduced the charge extraction from P3HT to ZnO. Meanwhile, the open circuit voltage increased with the Eosin-Y coating concentration, indicating reduced back charge recombination of electron on the ZnO and hole on the P3HT, as well as reduced leakage current through the direct contact between the ZnO nanorods and the Ag metal contact. The power conversion efficiency of the device with the optimum coating concentration was approximately eight times higher than that without Eosin-Y modification.

Photosensitive and temperature-dependent I–V characteristics of p-NiO film/n-ZnO nanorod array heterojunction diode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Long, Hao; Ai, Lei [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education of China, Department of Electronic Science and Technology, School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072 (China); Li, Songzhan [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education of China, Department of Electronic Science and Technology, School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072 (China); School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, Hubei 430073 (China); Huang, Huihui; Mo, Xiaoming; Wang, Haoning; Chen, Zhao; Liu, Yuping [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education of China, Department of Electronic Science and Technology, School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072 (China); Fang, Guojia, E-mail: gjfang@whu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education of China, Department of Electronic Science and Technology, School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072 (China)

2014-05-01

Highlights: • A p-NiO film/n-ZnO nanorod array heterojunction was prepared. • The heterojunction shows good morphology and crystal properties. • The diode exhibits excellent rectifying behavior. • The diode exhibits strong temperature dependent I–V properties. • The hybrid diode shows good photosensitivity under the ultraviolet irradiation. - Abstract: A p-NiO film/n-ZnO nanorod (NR) array heterojunction was prepared by deposition of NiO film on ZnO NRs using radio-frequency reactive magnetron sputtering. The well-aligned ZnO NRs were fabricated by a simple and economic hydrothermal method on a ZnO:Al-coated glass substrate. Good morphology and crystal properties of the fabricated ZnO NRs and NiO film were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The p–n heterojunction exhibits excellent rectifying behaviour and strong temperature-dependent current–voltage properties in the range from −50 to 80 °C. The hybrid NR heterojunction diode shows good photosensitivity under the irradiation of 365 nm ultraviolet light. These results present potential applications in future microelectronic devices based on NiO films and the one-dimensional ZnO nanomaterials.

Room temperature growth of ZnO nanorods by hydrothermal synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Tateyama, Hiroki; Zhang, Qiyan; Ichikawa, Yo

2018-05-01

The effect of seed layer morphology on ZnO nanorod growth at room temperature was studied via hydrothermal synthesis on seed layers with different thicknesses and further annealed at different temperatures. The change in the thickness and annealing temperature enabled us to control over a diameter of ZnO nanorods which are attributed to the changing of crystallinity and roughness of the seed layers.

Synthesis and microstructural characterization of growth direction controlled ZnO nanorods using a buffer layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Dong Jun; Kim, Dong Chan; Lee, Jeong Yong; Cho, Hyung Koun

2006-01-01

The growth direction and morphology of one-dimensional ZnO nanostructures grown by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) were modulated by changing the growth temperature of previously deposited ZnO buffer layers that were used as a template. The ZnO nanorods grown on the low-temperature deposited buffer layer were regularly inclined with respect to the substrate surface and show in-plane alignment with azimuthally six-fold symmetry. In contrast, deposition of the buffer layer at higher growth temperature led to the formation of vertically well-aligned ZnO nanorods. In addition, the ZnO nanorods grown on the buffer layer deposited at low growth temperature show a growth direction of [1 0 1-bar 0], unlike the conventional ZnO nanorods showing a growth direction of [0001]. The microstructural analysis and atomic modelling of the formation of regularly inclined nanorods using transmission electron microscopy are presented

Room temperature synthesis and optical properties of small diameter (5 nm) ZnO nanorod arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Seungho; Jang, Ji-Wook; Lee, Jae Sung; Lee, Kun-Hong

2010-10-01

We report a simple wet-chemical synthesis of ∼5 nm diameter ZnO nanorod arrays at room temperature (20 °C) and normal atmospheric pressure (1 atm) and their optical properties. They were single crystalline in nature, and grew in the [001] direction. These small diameter ZnO nanorod arrays can also be synthesized at 0 °C. Control experiments were also conducted. On the basis of the results, we propose a mechanism for the spontaneous growth of the small diameter ZnO structures. The optical properties of the 5 nm diameter ZnO nanorod arrays synthesized using this method were probed by UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. A clear blue-shift, relative to the absorption band from 50 nm diameter ZnO nanorod arrays, was attributed to the quantum confinement effects caused by the small nanocrystal size in the 5 nm diameter ZnO nanorods.

Fabrication and Characterization of Highly Oriented N-Doped ZnO Nanorods by Selective Area Epitaxy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Zhang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available High-quality nitrogen-doped ZnO nanorods have been selectively grown on patterned and bare ZnO templates by the combination of nanoimprint lithography and chemical vapor transport methods. The grown nanorods exhibited uniformity in size and orientation as well as controllable density and surface-to-volume ratio. The structural and optical properties of ZnO nanorods and the behaviour of N dopants have been investigated by means of the scanning electron microscope, photoluminescence (PL spectra, and Raman scattering spectra. The additional vibration modes observed in Raman spectra of N-doped ZnO nanorods provided solid evidence of N incorporation in ZnO nanorods. The difference of excitonic emissions from ZnO nanorods with varied density and surface-to-volume ratio suggested the different spatial distribution of intrinsic defects. It was found that the defects giving rise to acceptor-bound exciton (A0X emission were most likely to distribute in the sidewall surface with nonpolar characteristics, while the donor bound exciton (D0X emission related defects distributed uniformly in the near top polar surface.

Synthesis and optical properties of flower-like ZnO nanorods by thermal evaporation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, J.H.; Jiang, Q.; Lian, J.S.

2011-01-01

Flower-like ZnO nanorods have been synthesized by heating a mixture of ZnO/graphite powders using the thermal evaporation and vapor transport on Si (1 0 0) substrates without any catalyst. The structures, morphologies and optical properties of the products were characterized in detail by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy. The synthesized products consisted of large quantities of flower-like ZnO nanostructures in the form of uniform nanorods. The flower-like ZnO nanorods had high purity and well crystallized wurtzite structure, whose high crystalline quality was proved by Raman spectroscopy. The as-synthesized flower-like ZnO nanorods showed a strong ultraviolet emission at 386 nm and a weak and broad yellow-green emission in visible spectrum in its room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. In addition, the growth mechanism of the flower-like ZnO nanorods was discussed based on the reaction conditions.

Growth specificity of vertical ZnO nanorods on patterned seeded substrates through integrated chemical process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, P. Suresh [Thin Film and Nanomaterials Laboratory, Department of Physics, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641 046 (India); Maniam, S.M. [Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore (Singapore); Sundaramurthy, J. [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS) (Singapore); Arokiaraj, J. [3M R and D Center (Singapore); Mangalaraj, D., E-mail: dmraj800@yahoo.com [Department of Nanoscience and Technology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046 (India); Rajarathnam, D. [CERAR, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA-5095 (Australia); Srinivasan, M.P. [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS) (Singapore); Jian, L.K. [Singapore Synchrotron Light Source (SSLS), National University of Singapore (NUS) (Singapore)

2012-03-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Simple integrated chemical process was adopted for specific ZnO nanorod growth. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Size and orientation of nanorods are well controlled by optimum reaction time and temperature. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Different site-selective ZnO nanorod growths are demonstrated. - Abstract: A simple and cost effective method has been employed for the random growth and oriented ZnO nanorod arrays over as-prepared and patterned seeded glass substrates by low temperature two step growth process and growth specificity by direct laser writing (DLW) process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and X-ray diffraction analysis confirm the growth of vertical ZnO nanorods with perfect (0 0 2) orientation along c-axis which is in conjunction with optimizing the parameters at different reaction times and temperatures. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show the formation of vertical ZnO nanorods with diameter and length of {approx}120 nm and {approx}400 nm respectively. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopic studies show a narrow emission at {approx}385 nm and a broad visible emission from 450 to 600 nm. Further, site-selective ZnO nanorod growth is demonstrated for its high degree of control over size, orientation, uniformity, and periodicity on a positive photoresist ZnO seed layer by simple geometrical (line, circle and ring) patterns of 10 {mu}m and 5 {mu}m dimensions. The demonstrated control over size, orientation and periodicity of ZnO nanorods process opens up an opportunity to develop multifunctional properties which promises their potential applications in sensor, piezoelectric, and optoelectronic devices.

Bioanalytical system for detection of cancer cells with photoluminescent ZnO nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Viter, R.; Jekabsons, K.; Kalnina, Z.; Poletaev, N.; Hsu, S. H.; Riekstina, U.

2016-11-01

Using photoluminescent ZnO nanorods and carbohydrate marker SSEA-4, a novel cancer cell recognition system was developed. Immobilization of SSEA-4 antibodies (αSSEA-4) on ZnO nanorods was performed in buffer solution (pH = 7.1) over 2 h. The cancer cell line probes were fixed on the glass slide. One hundred microliters of ZnO-αSSEA-4 conjugates were deposited on the cell probe and exposed for 30 min. After washing photoluminescence spectra were recorded. Based on the developed methodology, ZnO-αSSEA-4 probes were tested on patient-derived breast and colorectal carcinoma cells. Our data clearly show that the carbohydrate SSEA-4 molecule is expressed on cancer cell lines and patient-derived cancer cells. Moreover, SSEA-4 targeted ZnO nanorods bind to the patient-derived cancer cells with high selectivity and the photoluminescence signal increased tremendously compared to the signal from the control samples. Furthermore, the photoluminescence intensity increase correlated with the extent of malignancy in the target cell population. A novel portable bioanalytical system, based on optical ZnO nanorods and fiber optic detection system was developed. We propose that carbohydrate SSEA-4 specific ZnO nanorods could be used for the development of cancer diagnostic biosensors and for targeted therapy.

Photoluminescence of spray pyrolysis deposited ZnO nanorods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikli Valdek

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Photoluminescence of highly structured ZnO layers comprising well-shaped hexagonal rods is presented. The ZnO rods (length 500-1,000 nm, diameter 100-300 nm were grown in air onto a preheated soda-lime glass (SGL or ITO/SGL substrate by low-cost chemical spray pyrolysis method using zinc chloride precursor solutions and growth temperatures in the range of 450-550°C. We report the effect of the variation in deposition parameters (substrate type, growth temperature, spray rate, solvent type on the photoluminescence properties of the spray-deposited ZnO nanorods. A dominant near band edge (NBE emission is observed at 300 K and at 10 K. High-resolution photoluminescence measurements at 10 K reveal fine structure of the NBE band with the dominant peaks related to the bound exciton transitions. It is found that all studied technological parameters affect the excitonic photoluminescence in ZnO nanorods. PACS: 78.55.Et, 81.15.Rs, 61.46.Km

ZnO Nanorods Based Enzymatic Biosensor for Selective Determination of Penicillin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magnus Willander

2011-10-01

Full Text Available In this study, we have successfully demonstrated the fabrication of a biosensor based on well aligned single-crystal zinc oxide (ZnO nanorods which were grown on gold coated glass substrate using a low temperature aqueous chemical growth (ACG method. The ZnO nanorods were immobilized with penicillinase enzyme using the physical adsorption approach in combination with N-5-azido-2-nitrobenzoyloxysuccinimide (ANB-NOS as cross linking molecules. The potentiometric response of the sensor configuration revealed good linearity over a large logarithmic concentration range from 100 µM to 100 mM. During the investigations, the proposed sensor showed a good stability with high sensitivity of ~121 mV/decade for sensing of penicillin. A quick electrochemical response of less than 5 s with a good selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility and a negligible response to common interferents such as Na1+, K1+, d-glucose, l-glucose, ascorbic acid, uric acid, urea, sucrose, lactose, glycine, penicilloic acid and cephalosporins, was observed.

ZnO Nanorods Based Enzymatic Biosensor for Selective Determination of Penicillin.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibupoto, Zafar Hussain; Ali, Syed Muhammad Usman; Khun, Kimleang; Chey, Chan Oeurn; Nur, Omer; Willander, Magnus

2011-10-27

In this study, we have successfully demonstrated the fabrication of a biosensor based on well aligned single-crystal zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods which were grown on gold coated glass substrate using a low temperature aqueous chemical growth (ACG) method. The ZnO nanorods were immobilized with penicillinase enzyme using the physical adsorption approach in combination with N-5-azido-2-nitrobenzoyloxysuccinimide (ANB-NOS) as cross linking molecules. The potentiometric response of the sensor configuration revealed good linearity over a large logarithmic concentration range from 100 µM to 100 mM. During the investigations, the proposed sensor showed a good stability with high sensitivity of ~121 mV/decade for sensing of penicillin. A quick electrochemical response of less than 5 s with a good selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility and a negligible response to common interferents such as Na1+, K1+, d-glucose, l-glucose, ascorbic acid, uric acid, urea, sucrose, lactose, glycine, penicilloic acid and cephalosporins, was observed.

A comparative study of the electrodeposition and the aqueous chemical growth techniques for the utilization of ZnO nanorods on p-GaN for white light emitting diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Kishwar, S.; ul Hasan, K.; Alvi, N. H.; Klason, P.; Nur, O.; Willander, M.

2011-01-01

Vertically well aligned zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) were grown on p-GaN by electrodeposition (ED) and aqueous chemical growth (ACG) techniques and the structures were employed to fabricate white light emitting diodes (LEDs). Room temperature current voltage ( I-V), photoluminescence (PL), and electroluminescence (EL) measurements were performed to investigate and compare both LEDs. In general, the I-V characteristics and the PL spectra of both LEDs were rather similar. Nevertheless, the EL of the ED samples showed an extra emission peak shoulder at 730 nm. Moreover, at the same injection current, the EL spectrum of the ED light emitting diode showed a small UV shift of 12 nm and its white peak was found to be broader when compared to the ACG grown LED. The broadening of the EL spectrum of the LED grown by ED is due to the introduction of more radiative deep level defects. The presented LEDs have shown excellent color rendering indexes reaching a value as high as 95. These results indicate that the ZnO nanorods grown by both techniques possess very interesting electrical and optical properties but the ED is found to be faster and more suitable for the fabrication of white LEDs.

A template-free sol-gel technique for controlled growth of ZnO nanorod arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, N.; Zhu, M.W.; Gao, L.J.; Gong, J.; Sun, C.; Jiang, X.

2011-01-01

The growth of ZnO nanorod arrays via a template-free sol-gel process was investigated. The nanorod is single-crystalline wurtzite structure with [0 0 0 1] growth direction determined by the transmission electron microscope. The aligned ZnO arrays were obtained directly on the glass substrates by adjusting the temperatures and the withdrawal speeds, without seed-layer or template assistant. A thicker oriented ZnO nanorod arrays was obtained at proper experimental conditions by adding dip-coating layers. Room temperature photoluminescence spectrum exhibits an intensive UV emission with a weak broad green emission as well as a blue double-peak emission located at 451 and 468 nm, respectively. Further investigation results show that the difference in the alignment of nanorods ascribes to the different orientations of the nanoparticles-packed film formed prior to nanorods on the substrate. Well ordered ZnO nanorods are formed from this film with good c-axis orientation. Our study is expected to pave a way for direct growth of oriented nanorods by low-cost solution approaches.

Flexible organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells based on conjugated polymer and ZnO nanorod array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tong, Fei; Kim, Kyusang; Martinez, Daniel; Thapa, Resham; Ahyi, Ayayi; Williams, John; Park, Minseo; Kim, Dong-Joo; Lee, Sungkoo; Lim, Eunhee; Lee, Kyeong K

2012-01-01

We report on the photovoltaic characteristics of organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells fabricated on ‘flexible’ transparent substrates. The solar cell device is composed of ZnO nanorod array and the bulk heterojunction structured organic layer which is the blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and (6,6)-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). The ZnO nanorod array was grown on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates via a low-temperature (85 °C) aqueous solution process. The blend solution consisting of conjugated polymer P3HT and fullerene PCBM was spin coated at a low spinning rate of 400 rpm on top of the ZnO nanorod array structure and then the photoactive layer was slow dried at room temperature in air to promote its infiltration into the nanorod network. As a top electrode, silver was sputtered on top of the photoactive layer. The flexible solar cell with the structure of PET/ITO/ZnO thin film/ZnO nanorods/P3HT:PCBM/Ag exhibited a photovoltaic performance with an open circuit voltage (V OC ) of 0.52 V, a short circuit current density (J SC ) of 9.82 mA cm −2 , a fill factor (FF) of 35% and a power conversion efficiency (η) of 1.78%. All the measurements were performed under 100 mW cm −2 of illumination with an air mass 1.5 G filter. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first presentation of investigation into the fabrication and characterization of organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells based on bulk heterojunction structured conjugated polymer/fullerene photoactive layer and ZnO nanorod array constructed on flexible transparent substrates. (paper)

Controlled Defects of Zinc Oxide Nanorods for Efficient Visible Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Phenol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jamal Al-Sabahi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Environmental pollution from human and industrial activities has received much attention as it adversely affects human health and bio-diversity. In this work we report efficient visible light photocatalytic degradation of phenol using supported zinc oxide (ZnO nanorods and explore the role of surface defects in ZnO on the visible light photocatalytic activity. ZnO nanorods were synthesized on glass substrates using a microwave-assisted hydrothermal process, while the surface defect states were controlled by annealing the nanorods at various temperatures and were characterized by photoluminescence and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC was used for the evaluation of phenol photocatalytic degradation. ZnO nanorods with high surface defects exhibited maximum visible light photocatalytic activity, showing 50% degradation of 10 ppm phenol aqueous solution within 2.5 h, with a degradation rate almost four times higher than that of nanorods with lower surface defects. The mineralization process of phenol during degradation was also investigated, and it showed the evolution of different photocatalytic byproducts, such as benzoquinone, catechol, resorcinol and carboxylic acids, at different stages. The results from this study suggest that the presence of surface defects in ZnO nanorods is crucial for its efficient visible light photocatalytic activity, which is otherwise only active in the ultraviolet region.

Structural and Optical Properties of Eu Doped ZnO Nanorods prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition

KAUST Repository

Alarawi, Abeer

2014-06-23

Nano structured wide band gap semiconductors have attracted attention of many researchers due to their potential electronic and optoelectronic applications. In this thesis, we report successful synthesis of well aligned Eu doped ZnO nano-rods prepared, for the first time to our knowledge, by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) without any catalyst. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns shows that these Eu doped ZnO nanorods are grown along the c-axis of ZnO wurtzite structure. We have studied the effect of the PLD growth conditions on forming vertically aligned Eu doped ZnO nanorods. The structural properties of the material are investigated using a -scanning electron microscope (SEM). The PLD parameters must be carefully controlled in order to obtain c-axis oriented ZnO nanorods on sapphire substrates, without the use of any catalyst. The experiments conducted in order to identify the optimal growth conditions confirmed that, by adjusting the target-substrate distance, substrate temperature, laser energy and deposition duration, the nanorod size could be successfully controlled. Most importantly, the results indicated that the photoluminescence (PL) properties reflect the quality of the ZnO nanorods. These parameters can change the material’s structure from one-dimensional to two-dimensional however the laser energy and frequency affect the size and the height of the nanorods; the xygen pressure changes the density of the nanorods.

Low-temperature growth of well-aligned zinc oxide nanorod arrays on silicon substrate and their photocatalytic application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azam A

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Ameer Azam,1 Saeed Salem Babkair21Center of Nanotechnology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2Center of Nanotechnology, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaAbstract: Well-aligned and single-crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO nanorod arrays were grown on silicon (Si substrate using a wet chemical route for the photodegradation of organic dyes. Structural analysis using X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and selected area electron diffraction confirmed the formation of ZnO nanorods grown preferentially oriented in the (001 direction and with a single phase nature with a wurtzite structure. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy micrographs showed that the length and diameter of the well-aligned rods were about ~350–400 nm and ~80–90 nm, respectively. Raman scattering spectra of ZnO nanorod arrays revealed the characteristic E2 (high mode that is related to the vibration of oxygen atoms in the wurtzite ZnO. The photodegradation of methylene blue (MB using ZnO nanorod arrays was performed under ultraviolet light irradiation. The results of photodegradation showed that ZnO nanorod arrays were capable of degrading ~80% of MB within 60 minutes of irradiation, whereas ~92% of degradation was achieved in 120 minutes. Complete degradation of MB was observed after 270 minutes of irradiation time. Owing to enhanced photocatalytic degradation efficiency and low-temperature growth method, prepared ZnO nanorod arrays may open up the possibility for the successful utilization of ZnO nanorod arrays as a future photocatalyst for environmental remediation.Keywords: ZnO, nanorods, XRD, photodegradation

Optimization of processing parameters on the controlled growth of c-axis oriented ZnO nanorod arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malek, M. F., E-mail: mfmalek07@gmail.com; Rusop, M., E-mail: rusop@salam.uitm.my [NANO-ElecTronic Centre (NET), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); NANO-SciTech Centre (NST), Institute of Science (IOS), Universiti Teknologi MARA - UiTM, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); Mamat, M. H., E-mail: hafiz-030@yahoo.com [NANO-ElecTronic Centre (NET), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); Musa, M. Z., E-mail: musa948@gmail.com [NANO-ElecTronic Centre (NET), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Pulau Pinang, Jalan Permatang Pauh, 13500 Permatang Pauh, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia); Saurdi, I., E-mail: saurdy788@gmail.com; Ishak, A., E-mail: ishak@sarawak.uitm.edu.my [NANO-ElecTronic Centre (NET), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sarawak, Kampus Kota Samarahan, Jalan Meranek, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak (Malaysia); Alrokayan, Salman A. H., E-mail: dr.salman@alrokayan.com; Khan, Haseeb A., E-mail: khan-haseeb@yahoo.com [Chair of Targeting and Treatment of Cancer Using Nanoparticles, Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh 11451 (Saudi Arabia)

2016-07-06

Optimization of the growth time parameter was conducted to synthesize high-quality c-axis ZnO nanorod arrays. The effects of the parameter on the crystal growth and properties were systematically investigated. Our studies confirmed that the growth time influence the properties of ZnO nanorods where the crystallite size of the structures was increased at higher deposition time. Field emission scanning electron microsope analysis confirmed the morphologies structure of the ZnO nanorods. The ZnO nanostructures prepared under the optimized growth conditions showed an intense XRD peak which reveal a higher c-axis oriented ZnO nanorod arrays thus demonstrating the formation of defect free structure.

Probing interaction of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial cells with ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jain, Aanchal; Bhargava, Richa; Poddar, Pankaj, E-mail: p.poddar@ncl.res.in

2013-04-01

In the present work, the physiological effects of the ZnO nanorods on the Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Aerobacter aerogenes) bacterial cells have been studied. The analysis of bacterial growth curves for various concentrations of ZnO nanorods indicates that Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial cells show inhibition at concentrations of ∼ 64 and ∼ 256 μg/mL respectively. The marked difference in susceptibility towards nanorods was also validated by spread plate and disk diffusion methods. In addition, the scanning electron micrographs show a clear damage to the cells via changed morphology of the cells from rod to coccoid etc. The confocal optical microscopy images of these cells also demonstrate the reduction in live cell count in the presence of ZnO nanorods. These, results clearly indicate that the antibacterial activity of ZnO nanorods is higher towards Gram positive bacterium than Gram negative bacterium which indicates that the structure of the cell wall might play a major role in the interaction with nanostructured materials and shows high sensitivity to the particle concentration. Highlights: ► Effect of ZnO nanorods on the growth cycles of four bacterial strains. ► A relation has been established between growth rate of bacteria and concentration. ► Serious damage in the morphology of bacterial cells in the presence of ZnO nanorods. ► Microscopic studies to see the time dependent effect on bacterial cells.

Inactivation of bacterial biofilms using visible-light-activated unmodified ZnO nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Aponiene, Kristina; Serevičius, Tomas; Luksiene, Zivile; Juršėnas, Saulius

2017-09-01

Various zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures are widely used for photocatalytic antibacterial applications. Since ZnO possesses a wide bandgap, it is believed that only UV light may efficiently assist bacterial inactivation, and diverse crystal lattice modifications should be applied in order to narrow the bandgap for efficient visible-light absorption. In this work we show that even unmodified ZnO nanorods grown by an aqueous chemical growth technique are found to possess intrinsic defects that can be activated by visible light (λ = 405 nm) and successfully applied for total inactivation of various highly resistant bacterial biofilms rather than more sensitive planktonic bacteria. Time-resolved fluorescence analysis has revealed that visible-light excitation creates long-lived charge carriers (τ > 1 μs), which might be crucial for destructive biochemical reactions achieving significant bacterial biofilm inactivation. ZnO nanorods covered with bacterial biofilms of Enterococcus faecalis MSCL 302 after illumination by visible light (λ = 405 nm) were inactivated by 2 log, and Listeria monocytogenes ATCL3C 7644 and Escherichia coli O157:H7 biofilms by 4 log. Heterogenic waste-water microbial biofilms, consisting of a mixed population of mesophilic bacteria after illumination with visible light were also completely destroyed.

Facile synthesis of highly branched jacks-like ZnO nanorods and their applications in dye-sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sudhagar, P.; Kumar, R. Saravana; Jung, June Hyuk; Cho, Woohyung; Sathyamoorthy, R.; Won, Jongok; Kang, Yong Soo

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: -- Abstract: Highly branched, jacks-like ZnO nanorods architecture were explored as a photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells, and their photovoltaic performance was compared with that of branch-free ZnO nanorods photoanodes. The highly branched network and large pores of the jacks-like ZnO nanorods electrodes enhances the charge transport, and electrolyte penetration. Thus, the jacks-like ZnO nanorods DSSCs render a higher conversion efficiency of η = 1.82% (V oc = 0.59 V, J sc = 5.52 mA cm -2 ) than that of the branch-free ZnO nanorods electrodes (η = 1.08%, V oc = 0.49 V, J sc = 4.02 mA cm -2 ). The incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency measurements reveal that the jacks-like ZnO nanorods DSSCs exhibit higher internal quantum efficiency (∼59.1%) than do the branch-free ZnO nanorods DSSC (∼52.5%). The charge transfer resistances at the ZnO/dye/electrolyte interfaces investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed that the jacks-like ZnO nanorods DSSC had high charge transfer resistance and a slightly longer electron lifetime, thus improving the solar-cell performance.

Facile synthesis of highly branched jacks-like ZnO nanorods and their applications in dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sudhagar, P. [Center for Next Generation Dye-sensitized Solar Cells, WCU Program Department of Energy Engineering, Hanyang University, Seongdong-gu, Seoul- 133 791 (Korea, Republic of); Kumar, R. Saravana [R and D Department of Physics, Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore 641 029, Tamilnadu (India); Jung, June Hyuk; Cho, Woohyung [Center for Next Generation Dye-sensitized Solar Cells, WCU Program Department of Energy Engineering, Hanyang University, Seongdong-gu, Seoul- 133 791 (Korea, Republic of); Sathyamoorthy, R. [R and D Department of Physics, Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore 641 029, Tamilnadu (India); Won, Jongok [Department of Chemistry, Sejong University, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-747 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Yong Soo, E-mail: kangys@hanyang.ac.kr [Center for Next Generation Dye-sensitized Solar Cells, WCU Program Department of Energy Engineering, Hanyang University, Seongdong-gu, Seoul- 133 791 (Korea, Republic of)

2011-09-15

Graphical abstract: -- Abstract: Highly branched, jacks-like ZnO nanorods architecture were explored as a photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells, and their photovoltaic performance was compared with that of branch-free ZnO nanorods photoanodes. The highly branched network and large pores of the jacks-like ZnO nanorods electrodes enhances the charge transport, and electrolyte penetration. Thus, the jacks-like ZnO nanorods DSSCs render a higher conversion efficiency of {eta} = 1.82% (V{sub oc} = 0.59 V, J{sub sc} = 5.52 mA cm{sup -2}) than that of the branch-free ZnO nanorods electrodes ({eta} = 1.08%, V{sub oc} = 0.49 V, J{sub sc} = 4.02 mA cm{sup -2}). The incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency measurements reveal that the jacks-like ZnO nanorods DSSCs exhibit higher internal quantum efficiency ({approx}59.1%) than do the branch-free ZnO nanorods DSSC ({approx}52.5%). The charge transfer resistances at the ZnO/dye/electrolyte interfaces investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed that the jacks-like ZnO nanorods DSSC had high charge transfer resistance and a slightly longer electron lifetime, thus improving the solar-cell performance.

Stimulated emission from ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hauschild, R.; Lange, H.; Priller, H.; Klingshirn, C.; Kalt, H. [Institut fuer Angewandte Physik, Universitaet Karlsruhe (T.H.), 76128 Karlsruhe (Germany); Kling, R. [Abteilung Halbleiterphysik, Universitaet Ulm, Albert-Einstein Allee 45, 89081 Ulm (Germany); Waag, A. [Institut fuer Halbleitertechnik, TU-Braunschweig, H.-Sommer-Str. 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Fan, H.J.; Zacharias, M. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Mikrostrukturphysik, Weinberg 2, 06120 Halle (Germany)

2006-03-15

By means of time resolved spectroscopy we compare two samples of ZnO nanorods with respect to their suitability as stimulated emitters. In the case of narrow nanorods their wave guiding quality causes a suppression of exciton-exciton scattering whereas no laser emission is detectable. Unlike their narrow counterparts, wide nanorods not only benefit from a larger overlap of the guided mode with the gain medium but a variation in VLS growth results in gold nanoparticles being present at the bottom of nanorods. Consequently, laser emission from single wide rods is evidenced up to 150 K. In addition to experimental studies we carry out 3D numerical simulations of the electric field distribution to evaluate the influence of gold nanoparticles at the nanorod/substrate interface. This finite element analysis confirms that gold leads to an enhancement of confinement within the resonator. (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Comparative PL study of individual ZnO nanorods, grown by APMOCVD and CBD techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khranovskyy, Volodymyr, E-mail: volkh@ifm.liu.se [Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linkoeping University, 58183 Linkoeping (Sweden); Yakimova, Rositza; Karlsson, Fredrik; Syed, Abdul S.; Holtz, Per-Olof [Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linkoeping University, 58183 Linkoeping (Sweden); Nigussa Urgessa, Zelalem [Department of Physics, P.O Box 77000, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); Samuel Oluwafemi, Oluwatobi [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha Campus, Private Bag XI 5117 (South Africa); Reinhardt Botha, Johannes [Department of Physics, P.O Box 77000, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa)

2012-05-15

The photoluminescence properties of individual ZnO nanorods, grown by atmospheric pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (APMOCV) and chemical bath deposition (CBD) are investigated by means of temperature dependent micro-PL. It was found that the low temperature PL spectra are driven by neutral donor bound exciton emission D{sup 0}X, peaked at 3.359 and 3.363 eV for APMOCVD and CBD ZnO nanorods, respectively. The temperature increase causes a red energy shift of the peaks and enhancement of the free excitonic emission (FX). The FX was found to dominate after 150 K for both samples. It was observed that while APMOCVD ZnO nanorods possess a constant low signal of visible deep level emission with temperature, the ZnO nanorods grown by CBD revealed the thermal activation of deep level emission (DLE) after 130 K. The resulting room temperature DLE was a wide band located at 420-550 nm. The PL properties of individual ZnO nanorods can be of importance for their forthcoming application in future optoelectronics and photonics.

Comparative PL study of individual ZnO nanorods, grown by APMOCVD and CBD techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khranovskyy, Volodymyr; Yakimova, Rositza; Karlsson, Fredrik; Syed, Abdul S.; Holtz, Per-Olof; Nigussa Urgessa, Zelalem; Samuel Oluwafemi, Oluwatobi; Reinhardt Botha, Johannes

2012-01-01

The photoluminescence properties of individual ZnO nanorods, grown by atmospheric pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (APMOCV) and chemical bath deposition (CBD) are investigated by means of temperature dependent micro-PL. It was found that the low temperature PL spectra are driven by neutral donor bound exciton emission D 0 X, peaked at 3.359 and 3.363 eV for APMOCVD and CBD ZnO nanorods, respectively. The temperature increase causes a red energy shift of the peaks and enhancement of the free excitonic emission (FX). The FX was found to dominate after 150 K for both samples. It was observed that while APMOCVD ZnO nanorods possess a constant low signal of visible deep level emission with temperature, the ZnO nanorods grown by CBD revealed the thermal activation of deep level emission (DLE) after 130 K. The resulting room temperature DLE was a wide band located at 420–550 nm. The PL properties of individual ZnO nanorods can be of importance for their forthcoming application in future optoelectronics and photonics.

Tragacanth gum biopolymer as reducing and stabilizing agent in biosonosynthesis of urchin-like ZnO nanorod arrays: A low cytotoxic photocatalyst with antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghayempour, Soraya; Montazer, Majid; Mahmoudi Rad, Mahnaz

2016-01-20

Tragacanth, a natural gum, has been used for centuries as emulsifier, thickener, stabilizer and binder in various fields such as food, medical and cosmetic industries. In this study, Tragacanth gum was used as a clean and natural reducing and stabilizing agent for preparation of urchin-like ZnO nanorod arrays at low-temperature using ultrasonic irradiation. The morphology and structure of urchin-like ZnO nanorod arrays was investigated by XRD, FESEM images, EDX, UV-vis and FT-IR spectroscopy. The hexagonal zinc oxide nanorods were synthesized with the average diameter of 55-80 nm and length of 240 nm. The peak appeared in 447 cm(-1) in FTIR spectra and the peak around 362.3 nm in UV-vis spectra of ZnO nanorods confirmed the successful synthesis of ZnO nanorods. The urchin-like ZnO nanorod arrays indicated a good photocatalytic activity through degradation of methylene blue with 92.2% efficiency and rate constant of 0.0027 min(-1) at 120 min. Finally, the synthesized urchin-like ZnO nanorod arrays indicated 100% antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli and 93% antifungal activity against C. albicans with a low cytotoxicity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improvement in the luminous efficiency of MEH-PPV based light emitting diodes using zinc oxide nanorods grown by the electrochemical deposition technique on ITO substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gupta, Rohini B; Kumar, Jitender; Madhwal, Devinder; Singh, Inderpreet; Nagpal, S; Bhatnagar, P K; Mathur, P C [Material Science Laboratory, Department of Electronic Science, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi (India); Kaur, I; Bhardwaj, L M, E-mail: email_rohini@rediffmail.com [Central Scientific Instruments Organization, Sector-30, Chandigarh (India)

2011-07-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown by the electrochemical technique have been used to enhance the luminance of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexoxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV)-based polymer light-emitting diodes. The luminance of the device with ZnO nanorods is found to increase by more than two times as compared with the device without ZnO nanorods. The diameter of the nanorods used in device fabrication was {approx}145 nm. The size of the nanorods was estimated from field emission scanning electron microscope images. Optical and structural characterizations of the nanorods were also performed by using absorption, photoluminescence and x-ray diffraction, confirming the formation of ZnO nanorods.

Applications of zinc oxide nanowires for bio-photonics and bio-electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Willander, Magnus; Nur, O.; Fakhar-e-Alam, M.; Sadaf, J. R.; Israr, M. Q.; Sultana, K.; Ali, Syed M. Usman; Asif, M. H.

2011-02-01

Using zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures, nanorods (NRs) and nanoparticles (NPs) grown on different substrates (sub-micrometer glass pipettes, thin silver wire and on plastic substrate) different bio-sensors were demonstrated. The demonstrated sensors are based on potentiometric approach and are sensitive to the ionic metals and biological analyte in question. For each case a selective membrane or enzyme was used. The measurements were performed for intracellular environment as well as in some cases (cholesterol and uric acid). The selectivity in each case is tuned according to the element to be sensed. Moreover we also developed photodynamic therapy approach based on the use of ZnO NRs and NPs. Necrosis/apoptosis was possible to achieve for different types of cancerous cell. The results indicate that the ZnO with its UV and white band emissions is beneficial to photodynamic therapy technology.

Large-scale manufacture of ZnO nanorods by flame spray pyrolysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hembram, K.; Sivaprakasam, D.; Rao, T. N.; Wegner, K.

2013-01-01

Large quantities of ZnO nanorods (>3 kg/h throughput) were produced in the gas-phase by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) of a zinc nitrate–ethanol precursor solution without employing any catalysts or dopants. The nanorods with diameters of 20–30 nm and aspect ratios as high as seven were collected as a dry powder. Several rods self-aligned by forming junctions at the basal planes, while some even assembled into tetrapods. The aspect ratio of the nanorods could be controlled by the concentration of the Zn ions in the starting precursor solution, its delivery rate, and the oxygen flow into the reactor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that synthesis of high aspect ratio ZnO nanorods by FSP is reported. Previous lab-scale experiments always yielded rather spherical albeit slightly elongated nanoparticles unless dopants were added. Such a product powder was obtained here when the ethanol in the precursor solution was replaced by methanol at otherwise constant process conditions. This is attributed to different temperature–time histories of the particles in the flame based on which a mechanism for ZnO nanorod formation in spray flames is proposed.

Synthesis of ZnO nanorods by spray pyrolysis for H2S gas sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinde, S.D.; Patil, G.E.; Kajale, D.D.; Gaikwad, V.B.; Jain, G.H.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Hexagonal pillar shaped ZnO nanorods with different sizes have been successfully synthesized by spray pyrolysis technique. ► ZnO nanorods thin films showed much better sensitivity and stability than the conventional materials to H 2 S gas (100 ppm) at 50 °C. ► This ZnO thin film has potential in application of room temperature H 2 S gas sensing. - Abstract: Hexagonal pillar shaped ZnO nanorods with different sizes have been successfully synthesized by spray pyrolysis technique (SPT). The equal amount of methanol and water is used as a solvent to dissolve the AR grade Zinc acetate for precursor solution. This solution is sprayed on to the glass substrate heated at 350 °C. The films were characterized by ultra-violet spectroscopy (UV), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The deposition of thin films results in a layer comprising well-shaped hexagonal ZnO nanorods with diameter of 90–120 nm and length of up to 200 nm. The gas sensing properties of these films have been investigated for various interfering gases such as CO 2 , CO, ethanol, NH 3 and H 2 S, etc. at operating temperature from 30° (room temperature) to 450 °C. The results indicate that the ZnO nanorods thin films showed much better sensitivity and stability than the conventional materials to H 2 S gas (100 ppm) at 50 °C. The hexagonal pillar shaped ZnO nanorods can improve the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensors.

Solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells based on ZnO nanoparticle and nanorod array hybrid photoanodes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sue Hung-Jue

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The effect of ZnO photoanode morphology on the performance of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs is reported. Four different structures of dye-loaded ZnO layers have been fabricated in conjunction with poly(3-hexylthiophene. A significant improvement in device efficiency with ZnO nanorod arrays as photoanodes has been achieved by filling the interstitial voids of the nanorod arrays with ZnO nanoparticles. The overall power conversion efficiency increases from 0.13% for a nanorod-only device to 0.34% for a device with combined nanoparticles and nanorod arrays. The higher device efficiency in solid-state DSSCs with hybrid nanorod/nanoparticle photoanodes is originated from both large surface area provided by nanoparticles for dye adsorption and efficient charge transport provided by the nanorod arrays to reduce the recombinations of photogenerated carriers.

Development of Galactose Biosensor Based on Functionalized ZnO Nanorods with Galactose Oxidase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Khun

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The fabrication of galactose biosensor based on functionalised ZnO nanorods is described. The galactose biosensor was developed by immobilizing galactose oxidase on ZnO nanorods in conjunction with glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker molecule. The IRAS study provided evidence for the interaction of galactose oxidase with the surface of ZnO nanorods. The electromotive force (EMF response of the galactose biosensor was measured by potentiometric method. We observed that the proposed biosensor has a linear detection range over a concentration range from 10 mM to 200 mM with good sensitivity of 89.10±1.23 mV/decade. In addition, the proposed biosensor has shown fast time response of less than 10 s and a good selectivity towards galactose in the presence of common interferents such as ascorbic acid, uric acid, glucose, and magnesium ions. The galactose biosensor based on galactose oxidase immobilized ZnO nanorods has a shelf life more than four weeks.

Immobilization of uricase on ZnO nanorods for a reagentless uric acid biosensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Fenfen; Wang Xiaoli; Ai Shiyun; Sun Zhengdong; Wan Qiao; Zhu Ziqiang; Xian Yuezhong; Jin Litong; Yamamoto, Katsunobu

2004-01-01

A reagentless uric acid (UA) biosensor based on uricase immobilized on ZnO nanorods was developed. Direct electrochemistry and thermal stability of immobilized uricase were studied. The ZnO nanorods derived electrode retained the enzyme bioactivity and could enhance the electron transfer between the enzyme and the electrode. This sensor showed a high thermal stability up to 85 deg. C and an electrocatalytic activity to the oxidation of uric acid without the presence of an electron mediator. The electrocatalytic response showed a linear dependence on the uric acid concentration ranging from 5.0 x 10 -6 to 1.0 x 10 -3 mol L -1 with a detection limit of 2.0 x 10 -6 mol L -1 at 3σ. The apparent K M app value for the uric acid sensor was estimated to be 0.238 mM, showing a high affinity

Miniaturized pH Sensors Based on Zinc Oxide Nanotubes/Nanorods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magnus Willander

2009-11-01

Full Text Available ZnO nanotubes and nanorods grown on gold thin film were used to create pH sensor devices. The developed ZnO nanotube and nanorod pH sensors display good reproducibility, repeatability and long-term stability and exhibit a pH-dependent electrochemical potential difference versus an Ag/AgCl reference electrode over a large dynamic pH range. We found the ZnO nanotubes provide sensitivity as high as twice that of the ZnO nanorods, which can be ascribed to the fact that small dimensional ZnO nanotubes have a higher level of surface and subsurface oxygen vacancies and provide a larger effective surface area with higher surface-to-volume ratio as compared to ZnO nanorods, thus affording the ZnO nanotube pH sensor a higher sensitivity. Experimental results indicate ZnO nanotubes can be used in pH sensor applications with improved performance. Moreover, the ZnO nanotube arrays may find potential application as a novel material for measurements of intracellular biochemical species within single living cells.

Preparation of Aligned ZnO Nanorod Arrays on Sn-Doped ZnO Thin Films by Sonicated Sol-Gel Immersion Fabricated for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Saurdi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Aligned ZnO Nanorod arrays are deposited on the Sn-doped ZnO thin film via sonicated sol-gel immersion method. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of the Sn-doped ZnO thin films were investigated. Results show that the Sn-doped ZnO thin films with small grain size (~20 nm, high average transmittance (96% in visible region, and good resistivity 7.7 × 102 Ω·cm are obtained for 2 at.% Sn doping concentration. The aligned ZnO nanorod arrays with large surface area were also obtained for 2 at.% Sn-doped ZnO thin film. They were grown on sol-gel derived Sn-doped ZnO thin film, which acts as a seed layer, via sonicated sol-gel immersion method. The grown aligned ZnO nanorod arrays show high transmittance at visible region. The fabricated dye-sensitised solar cell based on the 2.0 at.% Sn-doped ZnO thin film with aligned ZnO nanorod arrays exhibits improved current density, open-circuit voltage, fill factor, and conversion efficiency compared with the undoped ZnO and 1 at.% Sn-doped ZnO thin films.

Ultra-Fast Microwave Synthesis of ZnO Nanorods on Cellulose Substrates for UV Sensor Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Pimentel

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In the present work, tracing and Whatman papers were used as substrates to grow zinc oxide (ZnO nanostructures. Cellulose-based substrates are cost-efficient, highly sensitive and environmentally friendly. ZnO nanostructures with hexagonal structure were synthesized by hydrothermal under microwave irradiation using an ultrafast approach, that is, a fixed synthesis time of 10 min. The effect of synthesis temperature on ZnO nanostructures was investigated from 70 to 130 °C. An Ultra Violet (UV/Ozone treatment directly to the ZnO seed layer prior to microwave assisted synthesis revealed expressive differences regarding formation of the ZnO nanostructures. Structural characterization of the microwave synthesized materials was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD. The optical characterization has also been performed. The time resolved photocurrent of the devices in response to the UV turn on/off was investigated and it has been observed that the ZnO nanorod arrays grown on Whatman paper substrate present a responsivity 3 times superior than the ones grown on tracing paper. By using ZnO nanorods, the surface area-to-volume ratio will increase and will improve the sensor sensibility, making these types of materials good candidates for low cost and disposable UV sensors. The sensors were exposed to bending tests, proving their high stability, flexibility and adaptability to different surfaces.

The effects of addition of citric acid on the morphologies of ZnO nanorods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Zao; Liu Quanhui; Yang Lei

2007-01-01

ZnO nanorods of 25-100 nm in diameter and 0.2-1 μm in length were fabricated through citric acid assisted annealing process. The microstructure of ZnO nanorods was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy, respectively. As a result, it was found that ZnO nanorods were single crystalline and pure. The effects of the growth conditions such as addition of citric acid, annealing temperature on the morphologies of ZnO nanostructures have also been investigated. At the given temperature the length decreased but the diameter increased with addition of the mass of citric acid. With the rising of the calcining heat, the shape of ZnO changed from rod to granule for a given amount of citric acid. Finally, the mechanism for citric acid assisted annealing synthesis of the ZnO nanostructure is discussed

Tuning of deep level emission in highly oriented electrodeposited ZnO nanorods by post growth annealing treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simimol, A.; Manikandanath, N. T.; Chowdhury, Prasanta; Barshilia, Harish C.; Anappara, Aji A.

2014-01-01

Highly dense and c-axis oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods with hexagonal wurtzite facets were deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide coated glass substrates by a simple and cost-effective electrodeposition method at low bath temperature (80 °C). The as-grown samples were then annealed at various temperatures (T A  = 100–500 °C) in different environments (e.g., zinc, oxygen, air, and vacuum) to understand their photoluminescence (PL) behavior in the ultra-violet (UV) and the visible regions. The PL results revealed that the as-deposited ZnO nanorods consisted of oxygen vacancy (V O ), zinc interstitial (Zn i ), and oxygen interstitial (O i ) defects and these can be reduced significantly by annealing in different environments at optimal annealing temperatures. However, the intensity of deep level emission increased for T A greater than the optimized values for the respective environments due to the introduction of various defect centers. For example, for T A  ≥ 450 °C in the oxygen and air environments, the density of O i defects increased, whereas, the green emission associated with V O is dominant in the vacuum annealed (T A  = 500 °C) ZnO nanorods. The UV peak red shifted after the post-growth annealing treatments in all the environments and the vacuum annealed sample exhibited highest UV peak intensity. The observations from the PL data are supported by the micro-Raman spectroscopy. The present study gives new insight into the origin of different defects that exist in the electrodeposited ZnO nanorods and how these defects can be precisely controlled in order to get the desired emissions for the opto-electronic applications

Stimulated emission from ZnO nanorod arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hauschild, R.; Lange, H.; Priller, H.; Klingshirn, C.; Kalt, H. [Institut fuer Angewandte Physik, Universitaet Karlsruhe (TH), 76128 Karlsruhe (Germany); Kling, R. [Abteilung Halbleiterphysik, Universitaet Ulm, Albert-Einstein Allee 45, 89081 Ulm (Germany); Waag, A. [Institut fuer Halbleitertechnik, TU-Braunschweig, H.-Sommer-Str. 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Fan, H.J.; Zacharias, M. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Mikrostrukturphysik, Weinberg 2, 06120 Halle (Germany)

2006-08-15

We discuss the time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectra of single ZnO nanorods taken at excitation fluences above and below the laser threshold. In the latter case, P-band emission related to polariton-polariton scattering is observed for certain rod geometries while stimulated emission occurs within the electron-hole plasma band. We calculate the intensity distribution of low-order waveguide modes as well as their energy dependence for given nanorod geometries to discuss their relevance with respect to nanorod lasing and polariton propagation. Additional finite-element analysis confirms that a gold layer formed at the nanorod-substrate interface under certain growth conditions leads to an enhancement of confinement within the resonator. (2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (Abstract Copyright [2006], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

AuNPs Hybrid Black ZnO Nanorods Made by a Sol-Gel Method for Highly Sensitive Humidity Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongyan Zhang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A highly sensitive self-powered humidity sensor has been realized from AuNPs hybrid black zinc oxide (ZnO nanorods prepared through a sol-gel method. XRD pattern reveals that both ZnO and ZnO/AuNPs exhibit a wurtzite structure. ZnO/AuNPs nanorods grow in a vertical alignment, which possesses high uniformity and forms dense arrays with a smaller diameter than that of ZnO nanoparticles. All ZnO/AuNPs and pure black ZnO show lower band gap energy than the typically reported 3.34 eV of pure ZnO. Furthermore, the band gap of ZnO/AuNPs nanocomposites is effectively influenced by the amount of AuNPs. The humidity sensing tests clearly prove that all the ZnO/AuNPs humidity sensors exhibit much higher response than that of ZnO sensors, and the sensitivity of such ZnO/AuNPs nanorods (6 mL AuNPs display a change three orders higher than that of pure ZnO with relative humidity (RH ranging from 11% to 95% at room temperature. The response and recovery time of the ZnO/AuNPs are 5.6 s and 32.4 s, respectively. This study of the construction of semiconductor/noble metal sensors provides a rational way to control the morphology of semiconductor nanomaterials and to design a humidity sensor with high performance.

Ag Nanorods-Oxide Hybrid Array Substrates: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications in Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lingwei Ma

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Over the last few decades, benefitting from the sufficient sensitivity, high specificity, nondestructive, and rapid detection capability of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS technique, numerous nanostructures have been elaborately designed and successfully synthesized as high-performance SERS substrates, which have been extensively exploited for the identification of chemical and biological analytes. Among these, Ag nanorods coated with thin metal oxide layers (AgNRs-oxide hybrid array substrates featuring many outstanding advantages have been proposed as fascinating SERS substrates, and are of particular research interest. The present review provides a systematic overview towards the representative achievements of AgNRs-oxide hybrid array substrates for SERS applications from diverse perspectives, so as to promote the realization of real-world SERS sensors. First, various fabrication approaches of AgNRs-oxide nanostructures are introduced, which are followed by a discussion on the novel merits of AgNRs-oxide arrays, such as superior SERS sensitivity and reproducibility, high thermal stability, long-term activity in air, corrosion resistivity, and intense chemisorption of target molecules. Next, we present recent advances of AgNRs-oxide substrates in terms of practical applications. Intriguingly, the recyclability, qualitative and quantitative analyses, as well as vapor-phase molecule sensing have been achieved on these nanocomposites. We further discuss the major challenges and prospects of AgNRs-oxide substrates for future SERS developments, aiming to expand the versatility of SERS technique.

Photoresponsive surface molecularly imprinted polymer on ZnO nanorods for uric acid detection in physiological fluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, Qian; Li, Zai-yong; Wei, Yu-bo; Yang, Xia; Liu, Lan-tao; Gong, Cheng-bin; Ma, Xue-bing; Lam, Michael Hon-wah; Chow, Cheuk-fai

2016-01-01

A photoresponsive surface molecularly imprinted polymer for uric acid in physiological fluids was fabricated through a facile and effective method using bio-safe and biocompatible ZnO nanorods as a support. The strategy was carried out by introducing double bonds on the surface of the ZnO nanorods with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane. The surface molecularly imprinted polymer on ZnO nanorods was then prepared by surface polymerization using uric acid as template, water-soluble 5-[(4-(methacryloyloxy)phenyl)diazenyl]isophthalic acid as functional monomer, and triethanolamine trimethacryl ester as cross-linker. The surface molecularly imprinted polymer on ZnO nanorods showed good photoresponsive properties, high recognition ability, and fast binding kinetics toward uric acid, with a dissociation constant of 3.22 × 10"−"5 M in aqueous NaH_2PO_4 buffer at pH = 7.0 and a maximal adsorption capacity of 1.45 μmol g"−"1. Upon alternate irradiation at 365 and 440 nm, the surface molecularly imprinted polymer on ZnO nanorods can quantitatively uptake and release uric acid. - Highlights: • Novel surface molecularly imprinted polymer on ZnO nanorods was synthesized. • ZnO-SMIP showed good selectivity toward uric acid in physiological fluids. • ZnO-SMIP displayed good photoresponsive properties.

Photoresponsive surface molecularly imprinted polymer on ZnO nanorods for uric acid detection in physiological fluids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tang, Qian [The Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry of Chongqing Municipality, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Hong Kong Institute of Education (Hong Kong); Li, Zai-yong; Wei, Yu-bo; Yang, Xia; Liu, Lan-tao [The Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry of Chongqing Municipality, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Gong, Cheng-bin, E-mail: gongcbtq@swu.edu.cn [The Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry of Chongqing Municipality, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Ma, Xue-bing [The Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry of Chongqing Municipality, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Lam, Michael Hon-wah [Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong); Chow, Cheuk-fai, E-mail: cfchow@ied.edu.hk [Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Hong Kong Institute of Education (Hong Kong)

2016-09-01

A photoresponsive surface molecularly imprinted polymer for uric acid in physiological fluids was fabricated through a facile and effective method using bio-safe and biocompatible ZnO nanorods as a support. The strategy was carried out by introducing double bonds on the surface of the ZnO nanorods with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane. The surface molecularly imprinted polymer on ZnO nanorods was then prepared by surface polymerization using uric acid as template, water-soluble 5-[(4-(methacryloyloxy)phenyl)diazenyl]isophthalic acid as functional monomer, and triethanolamine trimethacryl ester as cross-linker. The surface molecularly imprinted polymer on ZnO nanorods showed good photoresponsive properties, high recognition ability, and fast binding kinetics toward uric acid, with a dissociation constant of 3.22 × 10{sup −5} M in aqueous NaH{sub 2}PO{sub 4} buffer at pH = 7.0 and a maximal adsorption capacity of 1.45 μmol g{sup −1}. Upon alternate irradiation at 365 and 440 nm, the surface molecularly imprinted polymer on ZnO nanorods can quantitatively uptake and release uric acid. - Highlights: • Novel surface molecularly imprinted polymer on ZnO nanorods was synthesized. • ZnO-SMIP showed good selectivity toward uric acid in physiological fluids. • ZnO-SMIP displayed good photoresponsive properties.

Field electron emission improvement of ZnO nanorod arrays after Ar plasma treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Chun; Fang Guojia; Yuan Longyan; Liu Nishuang; Li Jun; Li Dejie; Zhao Xingzhong

2007-01-01

Vertically well-aligned single crystal ZnO nanorod arrays were synthesized and enhanced field electron emission was achieved after radio-frequency (rf) Ar plasma treatment. With Ar plasma treatment for 30 min, flat tops of the as-grown ZnO nanorods have been etched into sharp tips without damaging ZnO nanorod geometrical morphologies and crystallinity. After the Ar ion bombardment, the emission current density increases from 2 to 20 μA cm -2 at 9.0 V μm -1 with a decrease in turn-on voltage from 7.1 to 4.8 V μm -1 at a current density of 1 μA cm -2 , which demonstrates that the field emission of the as-grown ZnO nanorods has been efficiently enhanced. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results, in conjunction with the results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence observation, are used to investigate the mechanisms of the field emission enhancement. It is believed that the enhancements can be mainly attributed to the sharpening of rod tops, and the decrease of electrostatic screening effect

Bicolor Light-Emitting Diode Based on Zinc Oxide Nanorod Arrays and Poly(2-methoxy,5-octoxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jizhong; He, Ying; Chen, Jie; Zhu, Di; Pan, Zhaodong; Zhang, Yaofei; Wang, Jun-An

2012-03-01

The current study reports a novel inorganic/organic light-emitting diode (LED), consisting of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays and poly(2-methoxy, 5-octoxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene (MOPPV). ZnO nanorod arrays passivated using polyacrylamide (PAM) with 70 nm diameter were successfully prepared by a simple polymer-assisted chemical method. Enhancement of the ZnO defect emission is caused by PAM passivation, as observed in photoluminescence spectra. Infrared absorption spectra reveal that PAM is chemically or physically adsorbed on the surfaces of ZnO nanorod arrays. The electroluminescence (EL) spectrum shows bluish light at 406 nm from ZnO transition emission, and light emission with center at 600 nm from exciton emission in MOPPV. The potential EL mechanism is electron transition to zinc vacancy in PAM/ZnO nanorod arrays, and exciton radiation luminescence in MOPPV film. This novel PAM/ZnO-MOPPV device may be helpful to promote development of multicolor LEDs.

Superhydrophobic and anti-reflective ZnO nanorod-coated FTO transparent conductive thin films prepared by a three-step method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Bao-jia, E-mail: li_bjia@126.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013 (China); Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Center for Photon Manufacturing Science and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013 (China); Huang, Li-jing; Ren, Nai-fei [Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Center for Photon Manufacturing Science and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013 (China); School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013 (China); Kong, Xia; Cai, Yun-long; Zhang, Jie-lu [Jiangsu Tailong Reduction Box Co. Ltd., Taixing, 225400 (China)

2016-07-25

A ZnO nanorod-coated FTO film was prepared by sputtering an AZO layer on FTO glass, thermal annealing of the AZO/FTO film, and hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanorods at 70 °C on the annealed AZO/FTO film using zinc foils as zinc source. Two other ZnO nanorod-coated FTO films were also prepared by hydrothermal growths of ZnO nanorods on the FTO glass and the unannealed AZO/FTO film respectively for comparison purpose. The results were observed in detail using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, water contact/sliding angle measurement, spectrophotometry and four-point probe measurement. The ZnO nanorods on the annealed AZO/FTO film were found to exhibit denser distribution and better orientation than those on the FTO glass and the unannealed AZO/FTO film. As a result, the ZnO nanorod-coated annealed AZO/FTO film demonstrated superhydrophobicity, high transparency and low reflectance in the visible range. Also this film had the lowest sheet resistance of 4.0 Ω/sq, implying its good electrical conductivity. This investigation provides a valuable reference for developing multifunctional transparent conductive films. - Highlights: • ZnO nanorod-coated annealed AZO/FTO film was obtained by a three-step method. • FTO and unannealed AZO/FTO films were also used as substrates for comparison. • ZnO nanorods on the annealed AZO/FTO film were denser and more vertically-oriented. • The ZnO nanorod-coated annealed AZO/FTO film (Z/TA-FTO) had superhydrophobicity. • The Z/TA-FTO exhibited high transparency, low reflectance and good conductivity.

Properties of V-implanted ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schlenker, E [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Bakin, A [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Schmid, H [Institut fuer Anorganische Chemie, University of Bonn, Roemerstrasse 164, 53117 Bonn (Germany); Mader, W [Institut fuer Anorganische Chemie, University of Bonn, Roemerstrasse 164, 53117 Bonn (Germany); Sievers, S [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig (Germany); Albrecht, M [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig (Germany); Ronning, C [II. Institute of Physics, Georg-August-University Goettingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Goettingen (Germany); Mueller, S [II. Institute of Physics, Georg-August-University Goettingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Goettingen (Germany); Al-Suleiman, M [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Postels, B [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Wehmann, H-H [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Siegner, U [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig (Germany); Waag, A [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany)

2007-03-28

ZnO nanorods were grown on Si substrates by an aqueous chemical approach and subsequently doped by V implantation. Transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy reveal a severely defective material directly after the implantation process. Subsequent annealing leads to a partial recovery of the crystal structure. The magnetic features of ZnO:V nanorods were investigated by magnetic force microscopy. Images taken of ensembles as well as of single rods clearly display contrast, which is seen as a strong indication of ferromagnetism at room temperature.

Highly Uniform Epitaxial ZnO Nanorod Arrays for Nanopiezotronics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nagata T

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Highly uniform and c-axis-aligned ZnO nanorod arrays were fabricated in predefined patterns by a low temperature homoepitaxial aqueous chemical method. The nucleation seed patterns were realized in polymer and in metal thin films, resulting in, all-ZnO and bottom-contacted structures, respectively. Both of them show excellent geometrical uniformity: the cross-sectional uniformity according to the scanning electron micrographs across the array is lower than 2%. The diameter of the hexagonal prism-shaped nanorods can be set in the range of 90–170 nm while their typical length achievable is 0.5–2.3 μm. The effect of the surface polarity was also examined, however, no significant difference was found between the arrays grown on Zn-terminated and on O-terminated face of the ZnO single crystal. The transmission electron microscopy observation revealed the single crystalline nature of the nanorods. The current–voltage characteristics taken on an individual nanorod contacted by a Au-coated atomic force microscope tip reflected Schottky-type behavior. The geometrical uniformity, the designable pattern, and the electrical properties make the presented nanorod arrays ideal candidates to be used in ZnO-based DC nanogenerator and in next-generation integrated piezoelectric nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS.

Large-scale syntheses of uniform ZnO nanorods and ethanol gas sensors application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Jin; Li Jin; Li Jiahui; Xiao Guoqing; Yang Xiaofeng

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → The uniform ZnO nanorods could be synthesized by a low temperature, solution-based method. → The results showed that the sample had uniform rod-like morphology with a narrow size distribution and highly crystallinity. → Room-temperature photoluminescence spectra of these nanorods show an exciton emission around 382 nm and a weak deep level emission, indicating the nanorods have high quality. → The sensor exhibited high sensitivity and fast response to ethanol gas at a work temperature of 400 deg. C. - Abstract: Uniform ZnO nanorods with a gram scale were prepared by a low temperature and solution-based method. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL). The results showed that the sample had uniform rod-like morphology with a narrow size distribution and highly crystallinity. Room-temperature PL spectra of these nanorods show an exciton emission around 382 nm and a negligible deep level emission, indicating the nanorods have high quality. The gas-sensing properties of the materials have been investigated. The results indicate that the as-prepared nanorods show much better sensitivity and stability. The n-type semiconductor gas sensor exhibited high sensitivity and fast response to ethanol gas at a work temperature of 400 deg. C. ZnO nanorods are excellent potential candidates for highly sensitive gas sensors and ultraviolet laser.

Effects of thermal annealing temperature and duration on hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorod arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, X.Q.; Kim, C.R.; Lee, J.Y.; Shin, C.M.; Heo, J.H.; Leem, J.Y. [Department of Nano Systems Engineering, Center for Nano Manufacturing, Inje University, Obang-dong, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-749 (Korea, Republic of); Ryu, H. [Department of Nano Systems Engineering, Center for Nano Manufacturing, Inje University, Obang-dong, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-749 (Korea, Republic of)], E-mail: hhryu@inje.ac.kr; Chang, J.H. [Major of Nano Semiconductor, Korea Maritime University, 1 Dongsam-dong, Yeongdo-Ku, Busan 606-791 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, H.C. [Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Korea Maritime University, 1 Dongsam-dong, Yeongdo-Ku, Busan 606-791 (Korea, Republic of); Son, C.S. [Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Silla University, Gwaebeop-dong, Sasang-gu, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Shin, B.C.; Lee, W.J. [Department of Nano Engineering, Dong-Eui University, 995 Eomgwangno, Busanjin-gu, Busan 614-714 (Korea, Republic of); Jung, W.G. [School of Advanced Materials Engineering, Kookmin University, 861-1, Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-702 (Korea, Republic of); Tan, S.T. [Institute of Microelectronics, 11 Science Park Road, Science Park II, Singapore 117685 (Singapore); Zhao, J.L. [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Sun, X.W. [Institute of Microelectronics, 11 Science Park Road, Science Park II, Singapore 117685 (Singapore); School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

2009-03-15

In this study, the effects of thermal annealing temperature and duration on ZnO nanorod arrays fabricated by hydrothermal method were investigated. The annealed ZnO/Si(1 1 1) substrate was used for ZnO nanorod array growth. The effects of annealing treatment on the structural and optical properties were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and room-temperature photoluminescence measurements. With the annealing temperature of 750 {sup o}C and the annealing duration of 10 min, both the structural and optical properties of the ZnO nanorod arrays improved significantly, as indicated in the X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence measurement.

Growth and characterization of ZnO nanowires for optical applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

AlSalhi, M S; Atif, M; Ansari, A A; Khun, K; Ibupoto, Z H; Willander, M

2013-01-01

In the present work, cerium oxide CeO 2 nanoparticles were synthesized by the sol–gel method and used for the growth of ZnO nanorods. The synthesized nanoparticles were studied by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopic techniques. Furthermore, these nanoparticles were used as the seed layer for the growth of ZnO nanorods by following the hydrothermal growth method. The structural study of ZnO nanorods was carried out by means of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and XRD techniques. This study demonstrated that the grown ZnO nanorods are well aligned, uniform, of good crystal quality and have diameters of less than 200 nm. Energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis revealed that the ZnO nanorods are composed only of zinc, cerium as the seed atom, and oxygen atoms, with no other impurities in the grown nanorods. Moreover, a photoluminescence (PL) approach was applied for the optical characterization, and it was observed that the near-band-edge (NBE) emission was the same as that of the zinc acetate seed layer, however the green and orange/red emission peaks were slightly raised due to possibly higher levels of defects in the cerium oxide seeded ZnO nanorods. This study provides an alternative approach for the controlled synthesis of ZnO nanorods using cerium oxide nanoparticles as the seed nucleation layer, improving both the morphology of the nanorods and the performance of devices based upon them. (paper)

Synthesis of ZnO nanorods by spray pyrolysis for H{sub 2}S gas sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shinde, S.D.; Patil, G.E. [Materials Research Lab., K.T.H.M. College, Nashik 422 005 (India); Kajale, D.D. [Materials Research Lab., Arts, Commerce and Science College, Nandgaon 423 106 (India); Gaikwad, V.B. [Materials Research Lab., K.T.H.M. College, Nashik 422 005 (India); Jain, G.H., E-mail: gotanjain@rediffmail.com [Materials Research Lab., K.T.H.M. College, Nashik 422 005 (India)

2012-07-05

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Hexagonal pillar shaped ZnO nanorods with different sizes have been successfully synthesized by spray pyrolysis technique. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ZnO nanorods thin films showed much better sensitivity and stability than the conventional materials to H{sub 2}S gas (100 ppm) at 50 Degree-Sign C. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This ZnO thin film has potential in application of room temperature H{sub 2}S gas sensing. - Abstract: Hexagonal pillar shaped ZnO nanorods with different sizes have been successfully synthesized by spray pyrolysis technique (SPT). The equal amount of methanol and water is used as a solvent to dissolve the AR grade Zinc acetate for precursor solution. This solution is sprayed on to the glass substrate heated at 350 Degree-Sign C. The films were characterized by ultra-violet spectroscopy (UV), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The deposition of thin films results in a layer comprising well-shaped hexagonal ZnO nanorods with diameter of 90-120 nm and length of up to 200 nm. The gas sensing properties of these films have been investigated for various interfering gases such as CO{sub 2}, CO, ethanol, NH{sub 3} and H{sub 2}S, etc. at operating temperature from 30 Degree-Sign (room temperature) to 450 Degree-Sign C. The results indicate that the ZnO nanorods thin films showed much better sensitivity and stability than the conventional materials to H{sub 2}S gas (100 ppm) at 50 Degree-Sign C. The hexagonal pillar shaped ZnO nanorods can improve the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensors.

Mechanism for wettability alteration of ZnO nanorod arrays via thermal annealing in vacuum and air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jun; Liu Yanru; Wei Zhiyang; Zhang Junyan

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Oxygen vacancy is the key factor in accounting for the change in morphology of the ZnO nanorod arrays. ► We firstly investigated the wettability alteration of ZnO nanorod arrays annealed in vacuum at different temperature. ► The hydrophilicity of the ZnO nanorod arrays annealed in air is not related to the oxygen vacancy but ascribed to the O adatom on the nanorod surface. - Abstract: The ZnO nanorod arrays were synthesized via a simple hydrothermal process followed by annealing in vacuum and air respectively at different temperature. The wettability of samples was controlled by adjusting the annealing atmosphere and temperature. To investigate the mechanism of wettability alteration, the chemical composition and surface morphology of nanorod arrays were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), respectively. Increasing oxygen vacancy concentration by increasing annealing temperature in vacuum resulted in a great change of surface morphology, which played the major role in wettability change. Under annealing in air, oxygen vacancy concentration reduced and the surface morphology of nanorod arrays showed little change with increasing annealing temperature. The wettability alteration is ascribed to the O adatom on the nanorods surface.

A novel hierarchical ZnO disordered/ordered bilayer nanostructured film for dye sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, Yamin, E-mail: yaminfengccnuphy@outlook.com; Wu, Fei; Jiang, Jian; Zhu, Jianhui; Fodjouong, Ghislain Joel; Meng, Gaoxiang; Xing, Yanmin; Wang, Wenwu; Huang, Xintang, E-mail: xthuang@phy.ccnu.edu.cn

2013-12-25

Graphical abstract: A novel hierarchical disordered/ordered bilayer ZnO nanostructured film in the length of 18 μm have been successfully synthesized on the FTO substrate; the hierarchical ZnO nanostructured film electrodes applied in DSSCs exhibit photoelectric conversion efficiency as high as 5.16%. Highlights: •A novel hierarchical ZnO structure film was fabricated on a FTO substrate. •Hierarchical ZnO film is applied as the electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells. •The film possess high specific surface area and fast electron transport effect. •The light-scattering effect of the hierarchical film is pronounced. •The energy conversion efficiency of hierarchical ZnO electrode reaches to 5.16%. -- Abstract: A novel hierarchical ZnO nanostructured film is synthesized via a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method followed by a treatment of thermal decomposition onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. This hierarchical film is composed of disordered ZnO nanorods (NRs) (top layer) and ordered ZnO nanowires (NWs) (bottom layer). The products possess the following features such as high specific surface area, fast electron transport, and pronounced light-scattering effect, which are quite suitable for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) applications. A light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 5.16% is achieved when the hierarchical ZnO nanostructured film is used as the photoanode under 100 mW cm{sup −2} illumination. This efficiency is found to be much higher than that of the DSSCs with pure ordered ZnO NWs (1.45%) and disordered ZnO NRs (3.31%) photoanodes.

A novel hierarchical ZnO disordered/ordered bilayer nanostructured film for dye sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Yamin; Wu, Fei; Jiang, Jian; Zhu, Jianhui; Fodjouong, Ghislain Joel; Meng, Gaoxiang; Xing, Yanmin; Wang, Wenwu; Huang, Xintang

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: A novel hierarchical disordered/ordered bilayer ZnO nanostructured film in the length of 18 μm have been successfully synthesized on the FTO substrate; the hierarchical ZnO nanostructured film electrodes applied in DSSCs exhibit photoelectric conversion efficiency as high as 5.16%. Highlights: •A novel hierarchical ZnO structure film was fabricated on a FTO substrate. •Hierarchical ZnO film is applied as the electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells. •The film possess high specific surface area and fast electron transport effect. •The light-scattering effect of the hierarchical film is pronounced. •The energy conversion efficiency of hierarchical ZnO electrode reaches to 5.16%. -- Abstract: A novel hierarchical ZnO nanostructured film is synthesized via a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method followed by a treatment of thermal decomposition onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. This hierarchical film is composed of disordered ZnO nanorods (NRs) (top layer) and ordered ZnO nanowires (NWs) (bottom layer). The products possess the following features such as high specific surface area, fast electron transport, and pronounced light-scattering effect, which are quite suitable for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) applications. A light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 5.16% is achieved when the hierarchical ZnO nanostructured film is used as the photoanode under 100 mW cm −2 illumination. This efficiency is found to be much higher than that of the DSSCs with pure ordered ZnO NWs (1.45%) and disordered ZnO NRs (3.31%) photoanodes

Magnetic and optical properties of Mn-doped ZnO vertically aligned nanorods synthesized by hydrothermal technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Panda, J.; Sasmal, I.; Nath, T. K., E-mail: tnath@phy.iitkgp.ernet.in, E-mail: tapnath@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Indian Institute Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302 (India)

2016-03-15

In this paper we have reported the synthesis of high quality vertically aligned undoped and Mn-doped ZnO single crystalline nanorods arrays on Si (100) substrates using two steps process, namely, initial slow seed layer formation followed by solution growth employing wet chemical hydrothermal method. The shapes of the as grown single crystalline nanorods are hexagonal. The diameter and length of the as grown undoped ZnO nanorods varies in the range of 80-150 nm and 1.0 - 1.4 μm, respectively. Along with the lattice parameters of the hexagonal crystal structure, the diameter and length of Mn doped ZnO nanorods are found to increase slightly as compared to the undoped ZnO nanorods. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the presence of Mn atoms in Mn{sup 2+} state in the single crystalline ZnO nanorods. The recorded photoluminescence spectrum contains two emissions peaks having UV exciton emissions along with a green-yellow emission. The green-yellow emissions provide the evidence of singly ionized oxygen vacancies. The magnetic field dependent magnetization measurements [M (H)] and zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetization [M(T)] measurements have been carried out at different isothermal conditions in the temperature range of 5-300 K. The Mn doped ZnO nanorods clearly show room temperature ferromagnetic ordering near room temperature down to 5 K. The observed magnetization may be attributed to the long range ferromagnetic interaction between bound magnetic polarons led by singly charged oxygen vacancies.

Zinc oxide nanorod based photonic devices: recent progress in growth, light emitting diodes and lasers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Willander, M; Nur, O; Zhao, Q X; Yang, L L [Department of Science and Technology, Linkoeping University, SE-601 74 Norrkoeping (Sweden); Lorenz, M; Cao, B Q; Zuniga Perez, J; Czekalla, C; Zimmermann, G; Grundmann, M [Institut fuer Experimentelle Physik II, Universitaet Leipzig, Linnestrasse 5, D-04103 Leipzig (Germany); Bakin, A; Behrends, A; Al-Suleiman, M; El-Shaer, A; Che Mofor, A; Postels, B; Waag, A [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, D-38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Boukos, N; Travlos, A [National Center for Scientific Research ' Demokritos' , Institute of Materials Science, GR 15310 Agia Paraskevi Attikis, Athens (Greece); Kwack, H S, E-mail: magwi@itn.liu.s [CEA-CNRS Group ' Nanophysique et Semiconducteurs' , Institut Neel, CNRS and Universit' e Joseph Fourier, F-38042 Grenoble (France)

2009-08-19

Zinc oxide (ZnO), with its excellent luminescent properties and the ease of growth of its nanostructures, holds promise for the development of photonic devices. The recent advances in growth of ZnO nanorods are discussed. Results from both low temperature and high temperature growth approaches are presented. The techniques which are presented include metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD), vapour phase epitaxy (VPE), pulse laser deposition (PLD), vapour-liquid-solid (VLS), aqueous chemical growth (ACG) and finally the electrodeposition technique as an example of a selective growth approach. Results from structural as well as optical properties of a variety of ZnO nanorods are shown and analysed using different techniques, including high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL), for both room temperature and for low temperature performance. These results indicate that the grown ZnO nanorods possess reproducible and interesting optical properties. Results on obtaining p-type doping in ZnO micro- and nanorods are also demonstrated using PLD. Three independent indications were found for p-type conducting, phosphorus-doped ZnO nanorods: first, acceptor-related CL peaks, second, opposite transfer characteristics of back-gate field effect transistors using undoped and phosphorus doped wire channels, and finally, rectifying I-V characteristics of ZnO:P nanowire/ZnO:Ga p-n junctions. Then light emitting diodes (LEDs) based on n-ZnO nanorods combined with different technologies (hybrid technologies) are suggested and the recent electrical, as well as electro-optical, characteristics of these LEDs are shown and discussed. The hybrid LEDs reviewed and discussed here are mainly presented for two groups: those based on n-ZnO nanorods and p-type crystalline substrates, and those based on n-ZnO nanorods and p-type amorphous substrates. Promising electroluminescence

Iron telluride nanorods-based system for the detection of total mercury in blood

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roy, Prathik; Lin, Zong-Hong [Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Liang, Chi-Te [Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Chang, Huan-Tsung, E-mail: changht@ntu.edu.tw [Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China)

2012-12-15

Graphical abstract: Elucidation of the detection of mercury using iron telluride nanorods (FeTe NRs), and dose-response curve for varying concentrations of Hg{sup 2+}. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Iron telluride nanorods (FeTe NRs) are prepared from tellurium nanowires (Te NWs). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mercury telluride nanorods (HgTe NRs) form by cation exchange reaction of FeTe NRs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fe{sup 2+} ions released catalyze the oxidation of ABTS by H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mercury is effectively determined in blood with an LOD of 1.31 nM at S/N ratio 3. - Abstract: We have developed a simple, colorimetric iron telluride (FeTe) nanorods (NRs) based system for the detection of mercury, mainly based on the cation exchange reaction between FeTe NRs and Hg{sup 2+}. FeTe NRs (length, 105 {+-} 21 nm) react with Hg{sup 2+} to form HgTe NRs (length, 112 {+-} 26 nm) and consequently release Fe{sup 2+} ions that catalyzes the oxidation between a peroxidase substrate 2,2 Prime -azino-bis(3-ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) and H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. The concentration of Fe{sup 2+} and thereby Hg{sup 2+} can be determined by measuring the absorbance of the ABTS oxidized product at 418 nm. This approach allows the detection of Hg{sup 2+}, with a limit of detection of 1.31 nM at a signal-to-noise ratio 3 and a linear range 5-100 nM (R{sup 2} = 0.99). The low-cost, simple, sensitive, and reproducible assay has been validated for the detection of Hg{sup 2+} in a blood sample (SRM 955c), with the result being in good agreement with that provided by National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Preparation of ZnO nanorods on conductive PET-ITO-Ag fibers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yiwen; Ji, Shuai; Chen, Yuanyu; Zhang, Hong; Gong, Yumei, E-mail: ymgong@dlpu.edu.cn; Guo, Jing, E-mail: guojing8161@163.com

2016-12-01

Highlights: • Polymeric PET fibers were conductive modified by ITO and the subsequent Ag coating. The conductive PET-ITO-Ag fiber has the surface resistivity as low as 0.23 mΩ cm. The PET-ITO-Ag fiber was used as a basal material to plant vertical ZnO nanorods. - Abstract: We studied the vertical ZnO nanorods grown on conductive conventional polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers which are prepared by electroless silver depositing on tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) coated PET fibers through an efficient and low-cost green approach. The PET fibers were firstly functionalized with a layer of ITO gel synthesized through a sol–gel process at rather low temperature, simply by immersing the fibers into ITO sol for several minutes followed by gelation at 120 °C. Once the ITO gel layer surface was activated by SnCl{sub 2}, a continuous, uniform, and compact layer of silver was carried out on the surface of the PET-ITO fibers through electroless plating operation at room temperature. The as-prepared PET-ITO-Ag fibers had good electrical conductivity, with surface resistivity as low as 0.23 mΩ cm. The overall procedure is simple, efficient, nontoxic, and controllable. The conductive PET-ITO-Ag fiber was used successfully as a flexible basal material to plant vertical ZnO nanorods through controlling the seeding and growth processes. The morphology of the PET-ITO, PET-ITO-Ag, and PET-ITO-Ag-ZnO fibers were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Undergone the whole process, although the tensile strength of the fiber decreased slightly, they may still exert their applications in flexible electronic such as photovoltaic and piezoelectric devices.

Preparation of ZnO nanorods on conductive PET-ITO-Ag fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Yiwen; Ji, Shuai; Chen, Yuanyu; Zhang, Hong; Gong, Yumei; Guo, Jing

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Polymeric PET fibers were conductive modified by ITO and the subsequent Ag coating. The conductive PET-ITO-Ag fiber has the surface resistivity as low as 0.23 mΩ cm. The PET-ITO-Ag fiber was used as a basal material to plant vertical ZnO nanorods. - Abstract: We studied the vertical ZnO nanorods grown on conductive conventional polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers which are prepared by electroless silver depositing on tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) coated PET fibers through an efficient and low-cost green approach. The PET fibers were firstly functionalized with a layer of ITO gel synthesized through a sol–gel process at rather low temperature, simply by immersing the fibers into ITO sol for several minutes followed by gelation at 120 °C. Once the ITO gel layer surface was activated by SnCl 2 , a continuous, uniform, and compact layer of silver was carried out on the surface of the PET-ITO fibers through electroless plating operation at room temperature. The as-prepared PET-ITO-Ag fibers had good electrical conductivity, with surface resistivity as low as 0.23 mΩ cm. The overall procedure is simple, efficient, nontoxic, and controllable. The conductive PET-ITO-Ag fiber was used successfully as a flexible basal material to plant vertical ZnO nanorods through controlling the seeding and growth processes. The morphology of the PET-ITO, PET-ITO-Ag, and PET-ITO-Ag-ZnO fibers were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Undergone the whole process, although the tensile strength of the fiber decreased slightly, they may still exert their applications in flexible electronic such as photovoltaic and piezoelectric devices.

Au nanorods-incorporated plasmonic-enhanced inverted organic solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Ling; Mei, Yang; Chen, Shu-Fen; Zhang, Yu-Pei; Hao, Jing-Yu; Deng, Ling-Ling; Huang, Wei

2015-11-01

The effect of Au nanorods (NRs) on optical-to-electric conversion efficiency is investigated in inverted polymer solar cells, in which Au NRs are sandwiched between two layers of ZnO. Accompanied by the optimization of thickness of ZnO covered on Au NRs, a high-power conversion efficiency of 3.60% and an enhanced short-circuit current density (JSC) of 10.87 mA/cm2 are achieved in the poly(3-hexylthiophene): [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PC60BM)-based inverted cell and the power conversion efficiency (PCE) is enhanced by 19.6% compared with the control device. The detailed analyses of the light absorption characteristics, the simulated scattering induced by Au NRs, and the electromagnetic field around Au NRs show that the absorption improvement in the photoactive layer due to the light scattering from the longitudinal axis and the near-field increase around Au NRs induced by localized surface plasmon resonance plays a key role in enhancing the performances. Project supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, China (Grant No. 2012CB933301), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61274065, 51173081, 61136003, BZ2010043, 51372119, and 51172110), and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Provincial Higher Education Institutions and Synergetic Innovation Center for Organic Electronics and Information Displays, China.

Direct hydrothermal growth of GDC nanorods for low temperature solid oxide fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Soonwook; Lee, Dohaeng; Yang, Hwichul; Kim, Young-Beom

2018-06-01

We report a novel synthesis technique of gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) nano-rod (NRs) via direct hydrothermal process to enhance performance of low temperature solid oxide fuel cell by increasing active reaction area and ionic conductivity at interface between cathode and electrolyte. The cerium nitrate hexahydrate, gadolinium nitrate hexahydrate and urea were used to synthesis GDC NRs for growth on diverse substrate. The directly grown GDC NRs on substrate had a width from 819 to 490 nm and height about 2200 nm with a varied urea concentration. Under the optimized urea concentration of 40 mMol, we confirmed that GDC NRs able to fully cover the substrate by enlarging active reaction area. To maximize ionic conductivity of GDC NRs, we synthesis varied GDC NRs with different ratio of gadolinium and cerium precursor. Electrochemical analysis revealed a significant enhanced performance of fuel cells applying synthesized GDC NRs with a ratio of 2:8 gadolinium and cerium precursor by reducing polarization resistance, which was chiefly attributed to the enlarged active reaction area and enhanced ionic conductivity of GDC NRs. This method of direct hydrothermal growth of GDC NRs enhancing fuel cell performance was considered to apply other types of catalyzing application using nano-structure such as gas sensing and electrolysis fields.

Effects of Doping with Al, Ga, and In on Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO Nanorods Grown by Hydrothermal Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Soaram; Nam, Giwoong; Park, Hyunggil; Yoon, Hyunsik; Leem, Jaeyoung; Lee, Sangheon; Kim, Jong Su; Kim, Jin Soo; Kim, Do Yeob; Kim, Sungo

2013-01-01

The structural and optical properties of the ZnO, Al-doped ZnO, Ga-doped ZnO, and In-doped ZnO nanorods were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence (PL) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. All the nanorods grew with good alignment on the ZnO seed layers and the ZnO nanorod dimensions could be controlled by the addition of the various dopants. For instance, the diameter of the nanorods decreased with increasing atomic number of the dopants. The ratio between the near-band-edge emission (NBE) and the deep-level emission (DLE) intensities (I NBE /I DLE ) obtained by PL gradually decreased because the DLE intensity from the nanorods gradually increased with increase in the atomic number of the dopants. We found that the dopants affected the structural and optical properties of the ZnO nanorods including their dimensions, lattice constants, residual stresses, bond lengths, PL properties, transmittance values, optical band gaps, and Urbach energies

Effects of Doping with Al, Ga, and In on Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO Nanorods Grown by Hydrothermal Method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Soaram; Nam, Giwoong; Park, Hyunggil; Yoon, Hyunsik; Leem, Jaeyoung [Inje Univ., Gimhae (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sangheon; Kim, Jong Su [Yeungnam Univ., Gyeongsan (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jin Soo [Chonbuk National Univ., Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Do Yeob; Kim, Sungo [Clemson Univ., Clemson (United States)

2013-04-15

The structural and optical properties of the ZnO, Al-doped ZnO, Ga-doped ZnO, and In-doped ZnO nanorods were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence (PL) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. All the nanorods grew with good alignment on the ZnO seed layers and the ZnO nanorod dimensions could be controlled by the addition of the various dopants. For instance, the diameter of the nanorods decreased with increasing atomic number of the dopants. The ratio between the near-band-edge emission (NBE) and the deep-level emission (DLE) intensities (I{sub NBE}/I{sub DLE}) obtained by PL gradually decreased because the DLE intensity from the nanorods gradually increased with increase in the atomic number of the dopants. We found that the dopants affected the structural and optical properties of the ZnO nanorods including their dimensions, lattice constants, residual stresses, bond lengths, PL properties, transmittance values, optical band gaps, and Urbach energies.

Defects related room temperature ferromagnetism in Cu-implanted ZnO nanorod arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, D.; Li, D.K.; Wu, H.Z.; Liang, F.; Xie, W.; Zou, C.W.; Shao, L.X.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Room temperature ferromagnetism was observed in Cu-implanted ZnO nanorod arrays. • Cu-implanted ZnO nanorods show a saturation magnetization value of 1.82 μ B /Cu. • The origin of ferromagnetism can be explained by the defects related bound magnetic polarons. -- Abstract: Room temperature ferromagnetism (FM) was observed in Cu-implanted ZnO nanorod arrays. The implantation dose for Cu ions was 1 × 10 16 cm −2 and the implantation energy was 100 keV. The ion implantation induced defects and disorder has been observed by the XRD, PL and TEM experiments. The PL spectrum revealed a dominant luminescence peaks at 390 nm and a broad and strong green emission at 500–700 nm, which is considered to be related to the ionized oxygen vacancy. Cu-implanted ZnO nanorods annealed at 500 °C show a saturation magnetization value of 1.82 μ B /Cu and a positive coercive field of 68 Oe. The carrier concentration is not much improved after annealing and in the order of 10 16 cm −3 , which suggests that FM does not depend upon the presence of a significant carrier concentration. The origin of ferromagnetism behavior can be explained on the basis of electrons and defects that form bound magnetic polarons, which overlap to create a spin-split impurity band

Reversible superhydrophobic-superhydrophilic transition of ZnO nanorod/epoxy composite films.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yan; Lin, Ziyin; Lin, Wei; Moon, Kyoung Sik; Wong, C P

2012-08-01

Tuning the surface wettability is of great interest for both scientific research and practical applications. We demonstrated reversible transition between superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity on a ZnO nanorod/epoxy composite film. The epoxy resin serves as an adhesion and stress relief layer. The ZnO nanorods were exposed after oxygen reactive ion etching of the epoxy matrix. A subsequent chemcial treatment with fluoroalkyl and alkyl silanes resulted in a superhydrophobic surface with a water contact angle up to 158.4° and a hysteresis as low as 1.3°. Under UV irradiation, the water contact angle decreased gradually, and the surface eventually became superhydrophilic because of UV induced decomposition of alkyl silanes and hydroxyl absorption on ZnO surfaces. A reversible transition of surface wettability was realized by alternation of UV illumination and surface treatment. Such ZnO nanocomposite surface also showed improved mechanical robustness.

Electrochemical properties of TiO2 encapsulated ZnO nanorod aggregates dye sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Justin Raj, C.; Karthick, S.N.; Dennyson Savariraj, A.; Hemalatha, K.V.; Park, Song-Ki; Kim, Hee-Je; Prabakar, K.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► ZnO nanorod aggregates were synthesized by simple co-precipitation technique. ► TiO 2 encapsulated ZnO nanorod aggregates photoanode was used for the DSSC. ► TiO 2 encapsulated ZnO nanorod aggregates shows an enhanced efficiency. ► The electron recombination and transport properties were studied using EIS method. - Abstract: Dye sensitized solar cells based on TiO 2 encapsulated ZnO nanorod (NR) aggregates were fabricated and electrochemical performance was analyzed using impedance spectroscopy as a function of forward bias voltage. Charge transfer properties such as electron life time (τ n ), electron diffusion coefficient (D n ) and electron diffusion length (L n ) were calculated in order to ensure the influence of TiO 2 layer over the ZnO NR aggregates. It is found that the short circuit current density (Jsc = 5.8 mA cm −2 ), open circuit potential (V oc = 0.743 V), fill factor (FF = 0.57) and conversion efficiency are significantly improved by the introduction of TiO 2 layer over ZnO photoanode. A power conversion efficiency of about 2.48% has been achieved for TiO 2 /ZnO cell, which is higher than that of bare ZnO NR aggregate based cells (1.73%). The formation of an inherent energy barrier between TiO 2 and ZnO films and the passivation of surface traps on the ZnO film caused by the introduction of TiO 2 layer increase the dye absorption and favor the electron transport which may be responsible for the enhanced performance of TiO 2 /ZnO cell.

The sensitivity and dynamic response of field ionization gas sensor based on ZnO nanorods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Min Jiahua; Liang Xiaoyan; Wang Bin; Wang Linjun; Zhao Yue; Shi Weimin; Xia Yiben

2011-01-01

Field ionization gas sensors based on ZnO nanorods (50–300 nm in diameter, and 3–8 μm in length) with and without a buffer layer were fabricated, and the influence of the orientation of nano-ZnO on the ionization response of devices was discussed, including the sensitivity and dynamic response of the ZnO nanorods with preferential orientation. The results indicated that ZnO nanorods as sensor anode could dramatically decrease the breakdown voltage. The XRD and SEM images illustrated that nano-ZnO with a ZnO buffer layer displayed high c-axis orientation, which helps to significantly reduce the breakdown voltage. Device A based on ZnO nanorods with a ZnO buffer layer could distinguish toluene and acetone. The dynamic responses of device A to the NO x compounds presented the sensitivity of 0.045 ± 0.007 ppm/pA and the response speed within 17–40 s, and indicated a linear relationship between NO x concentration and current response at low NO x concentrations. In addition, the dynamic responses to benzene, isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, and methanol reveals that the device has higher sensitivity to gas with larger static polarizability and lower ionization energy.

Low-temperature hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanorods: Effects of zinc salt concentration, various solvents and alkaline mineralizers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Edalati, Khatereh, E-mail: kh_ed834@stu.um.ac.ir [Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM) Campus, Azadi Sq., Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shakiba, Atefeh [Department of Material Science and Metallurgy, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Vahdati-Khaki, Jalil; Zebarjad, Seyed Mojtaba [Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM) Campus, Azadi Sq., Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-02-15

Highlights: • We synthesized ZnO nanorods by a simple hydrothermal process at 60 °C. • Effects of zinc salt concentration, solvent and alkaline mineralizer was studied. • Increasing concentration of zinc salt changed ZnO nucleation system. • NaOH yielded better results in the production of nanorods in both solvents. • Methanol performed better in the formation of nanorods using the two mineralizers. - Abstract: ZnO has been produced using various methods in the solid, gaseous, and liquid states, and the hydrothermal synthesis at low temperatures has been shown to be an environmentally-friendly one. The current work utilizes a low reaction temperature (60 °C) for the simple hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanorod morphologies. Furthermore, the effects of zinc salt concentration, solvent type and alkaline mineralizer type on ZnO nanorods synthesis at a low reaction temperature by hydrothermal processing was studied. Obtained samples were analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Increasing the concentration of the starting zinc salt from 0.02 to 0.2 M changed ZnO nucleation system from the homogeneous to the heterogeneous state. The XRD results confirmed the production hexagonal ZnO nanostructures of with a crystallite size of 40.4 nm. Varying the experimental parameters (mineralizer and solvent) yielded ZnO nanorods with diameters ranging from 90–250 nm and lengths of 1–2 μm.

Study of structural, morphological, optical and electroluminescent properties of undoped ZnO nanorods grown by a simple chemical precipitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Singh A.

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this work, zinc oxide (ZnO nanorods were obtained by a simple chemical precipitation method in the presence of capping agent: polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP at room temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD result indicates that the synthesized undoped ZnO nanorods have hexagonal wurtzite structure without any impurities. It has been observed that the growth direction of the prepared ZnO nanorods is [1 0 1]. XRD analysis revealed that the nanorods have the crystallite size of 49 nm. Crystallite size is calculated by Debye-Scherrer formula and lattice strain is calculated by Williomson-Hall equation. Cell volume, Lorentz factor, Lorentz polarization factor, bond length, texture coefficient, lattice constants and dislocation density have also been studied. We also compared the interplanar spacings and relative peak intensities with their standard values at different angles. The scanning electron microscope (SEM images confirmed the size and shape of these nanorods. It has been found that the diameter of the nanorods ranges from 1.52 μm to 1.61 μm and the length is about 4.89 μm. It has also been observed that at room temperature ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis absorption band is around 355 nm (blue shifted as compared to the bulk. The average particle size has also been calculated by mathematical model of effective mass approximation equation, using UV-Vis absorption peak. Finally, the bandgap has been calculated using UV-absorption peak. Electroluminescence (EL studies show that emission of light is possible at very small threshold voltage and it increases rapidly with increasing applied voltage. It is seen that smaller ZnO nanoparticles give higher electroluminescence brightness starting at lower threshold voltage. The brightness is also affected by increasing the frequency of AC signal.

The effects of surface stripping ZnO nanorods with argon bombardment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnett, Chris J; Kryvchenkova, Olga; Maffeis, Thierry G G; Cobley, Richard J; Smith, Nathan A; Kelleher, Liam

2015-01-01

ZnO nanorods are used in devices including field effects transistors, piezoelectric transducers, optoelectronics and gas sensors. However, for efficient and reproducible device operation and contact behaviour, surface contaminants must be removed or controlled. Here we use low doses of argon bombardment to remove surface contamination and make reproducible lower resistance contacts. Higher doses strip the surface of the nanorods allowing intrinsic surface measurements through a cross section of the material. Photoluminescence finds that the defect distribution is higher at the near-surface, falling away in to the bulk. Contacts to the n-type defect-rich surface are near-Ohmic, whereas stripping away the surface layers allows more rectifying Schottky contacts to be formed. The ability to select the contact type to ZnO nanorods offers a new way to customize device behaviour. (paper)

Surface potential driven dissolution phenomena of [0 0 0 1]-oriented ZnO nanorods grown from ZnO and Pt seed layers

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Youngmi; Kim, Jung Hyeun

2011-06-01

Highly oriented ZnO nanorods are synthesized hydrothermally on ZnO and Pt seed layers, and they are dissolved in KOH solution. The rods grown on ZnO seed layer show uniform dissolution, but those grown on Pt seed layer are rod-selectively dissolved. The ZnO nanorods from both seed layers show the same crystalline structure through XRD and Raman spectrometer data. However, the surface potential analysis reveals big difference for ZnO and Pt seed cases. The surface potential distribution is very uniform for the ZnO seed case, but it is much fluctuated on the Pt seed case. It suggests that the rod-selective dissolution phenomena on Pt seed case are likely due to the surface energy difference.

Morphology development and oriented growth of single crystalline ZnO nanorod

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Lili; Wu Youshi; Lue Wei; Wei Huiying; Shi Yuanchang

2005-01-01

Single crystalline ZnO nanorods were achieved by the assembly of nanocrystallines in tens of nanometer under hydrothermal conditions with the assistance of surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The obtained nanorod has rough surface as a result of oriented attachment growth. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed the morphology evolution of the nanorod at different reaction time. Defects were observed and porous structure was left after the assembly of hundreds of nanocrystalline building blocks. Effect of pH condition on the morphology of the nanorod was also investigated

Superior environment resistance of quartz crystal microbalance with anatase TiO2/ZnO nanorod composite films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiang, Wei; Wei, Li; Shaodan, Wang; Yu, Bai

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: ZnO nanorod array being prepared by an in situ method on the QCM coated with Au film via hydrothermal process and surface modification with coated TiO 2 by sol–gel methods to form a superhydrophobic TiO 2 /ZnO composite film the anatase TiO 2 /ZnO nanorod composite film with a sharp, pencil-like structure exhibiting excellent superhydrophobicity (water contact angle of 155°), non-sticking water properties, and an autonomous cleaning property under UV irradiation. The anatase TiO 2 /ZnO nanorod composite film facilitates the precise measurement and extended lifetime of the QCM for the detection of organic gas molecules. - Highlights: • This work combines, for the first time, the advantage of the TiO 2 /ZnO composite film on photocatalysis and reversible super-hydrophobic and super-hydrophilic transition, and puts forward a solution to satisfy weatherability of quartz crystal microbalance in long-term application. • The anatase TiO 2 /ZnO nanorod composite film with pencil structure exhibit excellent super-hydrophobicity (water contact angle can reach 155°), no-sticking water properties and self-cleaning property under UV irradiation. • The photocatalysis and reversible super-hydrophobic and super-hydrophilic transition of the TiO 2 /ZnO nanorod composite film is stable in long-term application. - Abstract: The precise measurement of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in the detection and weighing of organic gas molecules is achieved due to excellent superhydrophobicity of a deposited film composite. Photocatalysis is utilized as a method for the self-cleaning of organic molecules on the QCM for extended long-term stability in the precision of the instrument. In this paper, ZnO nanorod array is prepared via in situ methods on the QCM coated with Au film via hydrothermal process. Subsequently, a TiO 2 /ZnO composite film is synthesized by surface modification with TiO 2 via sol–gel methods. Results show the anatase TiO 2 /ZnO nanorod

Improving the Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells by Growing Longer ZnO Nanorods on TiO2 Photoanodes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bao-gai Zhai

2017-01-01

Full Text Available By increasing the temperature of hydrothermal reactions from 70 to 100°C, vertically aligned ZnO nanorods were grown on the TiO2 thin film in the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs as the blocking layer to reduce the electron back recombinations at the TiO2/electrolyte interfaces. The length effects of ZnO nanorods on the photovoltaic performances of TiO2 based DSSCs were investigated by means of scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer, photoluminescence spectrophotometer, and the photocurrent-voltage measurement. Under the illumination of 100 mW/cm2, the power conversion efficiency of DSSC with ZnO nanorods decorated TiO2 thin film as its photoanode can be increased nearly fourfold from 0.27% to 1.30% as the length of ZnO nanorods increases from 300 to 1600 nm. The enhanced efficiency of DSSC with ZnO nanorods decorated TiO2 thin film as the photoanode can be attributed to the larger surface area and the lower defect density in longer ZnO nanorods, which are in favor of more dye adsorption and more efficient transport in the photoanode.

Controlled synthesis of ZnO branched nanorod arrays by hierarchical solution growth and application in dye-sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Xiaoming; Peng Lihua; Shang Xiaoying; Zhang Zhengguo

2011-01-01

We demonstrate the controlled synthesis of ZnO branched nanorod arrays on fluorine-doped SnO 2 -coated glass substrates by the hierarchical solution growth method. In the secondary growth, the concentration of Zn(NO 3 ) 2 /hexamethylenetetramine plays an important role in controlling the morphology of the branched nanorod arrays, besides that of diaminopropane used as a structure-directing agent to induce the growth of branches. The population density and morphology of the branched nanorod arrays depend on those of the nanorod arrays obtained from the primary growth, which can be modulated though the concentration of Zn(NO 3 ) 2 /hexamethylenetetramine in the primary growth solution. The dye-sensitized ZnO branched nanorod arrays exhibit much stronger optical absorption as compared with its corresponding primary nanorod arrays, suggesting that the addition of the branches improves light harvesting. The dye-sensitized solar cell based on the optimized ZnO branched nanorod array reaches a conversion efficiency of 1.66% under the light radiation of 1000 W/m 2 . The branched nanorod arrays can also be applied in other application fields of ZnO.

Sub-coherent growth of ZnO nanorod arrays on three-dimensional graphene framework as one-bulk high-performance photocatalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Mei; Ma, Yuxiao; Liu, Jianhua; Li, Xinjie; Li, Songmei; Liu, Shenyao

2016-12-01

Highly ordered ZnO nanorod arrays were grown vertically on the surface of three-dimensional graphene (3DG) framework bulk to prepare a one-bulk structure. In such structure, ZnO exhibits outstanding photocatalyst performance due to its hybridization with 3DG. The sub-coherency between ZnO and 3DG ensures the template-free growth of ZnO nanorod arrays and the exposing of its most active crystal surfaces {0001}. The hybridization prevents the agglomeration of ZnO nanoparticles, helping the formation of nanorod array morphology, enhancing the mass transfer of reactants and the separation of photogenerated holes. In the efficiency test, with tiny amount of ZnO catalyst (∼5.03 × 10-3 g), the concentration of methyl orange decreased to ∼11% of the initial value within four hours. The structure possesses high average photocatalytic efficiency of 6.56 × 10-3 h-1, much higher than that of bare ZnO nanorods.

Mesoporous cobalt monoxide nanorods grown on reduced graphene oxide nanosheets with high lithium storage performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Wenjun; Huang, Hui; Gan, Yongping; Tao, Xinyong; Xia, Yang; Zhang, Wenkui

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Facile synthesis of mesoporous CoO NRs/rGO composite by a hydrothermal method. • The composite has an unique 1D porous nanorods/2D sheets hybrid nanostructure. • The CoO NRs/rGO composite shows excellent electrochemical performance as anode materials for Li-ion batteries. - Abstract: Graphene-based hybrid nanostructures could offer many opportunities for improved lithium storage performance. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of mesoporous CoO nanorods (CoO NRs) on a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) substrate by hydrothermal and calcination treatment. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation reveals that the CoO NRs with a diameter of 20–60 nm are tightly anchored on the surface of rGO sheets. Compared to pure CoO NRs, the CoO NRs/rGO composite shows higher lithium storage capacity and superior rate capability as anode materials for Li-ion batteries. The CoO NRs/rGO composite delivers an initial discharge capacity of 1452 mAh g −1 , and it can still remains 960 mAh g −1 after 50 cycles at 0.1 A g −1 . After each 10 cycles at 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1 A g −1 , the specific capacities of the composite are about 1096, 1049, 934 and 513 mAh g −1 , respectively. The enhanced electrochemical performance of the composite is closely related to its unique structure, such as 1D mesoporous morphology of CoO NRs and its tightly-contacting with rGO nanosheets, which could shorten the transport pathway for both electrons and ions, enhance the electrical conductivity and accommodate the volume expansion during prolonged cycling

Superior photocatalytic, electrocatalytic, and self-cleaning applications of Fly ash supported ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thirumalai, Kuppulingam; Balachandran, Subramanian [Department of Chemistry, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, 608 002, Tamil Nadu (India); Swaminathan, Meenakshisundaram, E-mail: chemres50@gmail.com [Department of Chemistry, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, 608 002, Tamil Nadu (India); Nanomaterials Laboratory, International Research Centre, Kalasalingam Universty, Krihnankoil, 626126 (India)

2016-11-01

Ever growing research on modified semiconductor oxides made a significant progress in catalytic functional materials. In this article, we report the modification of ZnO photocatalyst by a simple hydrothermal decomposition method utilizing the cheaply available industrial waste fly ash. This modified Fly ash-ZnO photocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The XRD pattern indicates the presence of fly ash components and the hexagonal wurtzite structured ZnO. TEM images reveal well defined nanorod like structure. Reduction of photoluminescence intensity of Fly ash-ZnO at 418 nm, when compared to, prepared ZnO, indicates the suppression of recombination of the photogenerated electron–hole pair by loaded Fly ash on ZnO. Fly ash-ZnO exhibits enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of azo dyes Reactive Orange 4, Rhodamine-B and Trypan Blue. This catalyst shows higher electrocatalytic activity than ZnO in the oxidation of methanol. Significant hydrophobicity of Fly ash-ZnO reveals its self cleaning property. - Highlights: • The degradation efficiency of Fly ash-ZnO under UV and Solar irradiation is greater than prepared ZnO and TiO{sub 2}‒P25. • Electrocatalytic activity of Fly ash-ZnO exhibits enhanced current production by methanol oxidation. • Fly ash-ZnO shows the high hydrophobicity than ZnO, it can be used as a self cleaning material for industrial applications.

Magnetic nanoparticles as a seed layer for growing ZnO nanowires for optical applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

AlSalhi, M S; Atif, M; Ansari, Anees A; Khun, K; Ibupoto, Z H; Willander, M

2013-01-01

In the present work, cerium oxide CeO 2 nanoparticles were synthesised by sol-gel method and used for the growth of ZnO nanorods. The synthesised nanoparticles were studied by x-ray diffraction technique [XRD]. Furthermore, these nanoparticles were used as seed layer for the growth of ZnO nanorods by following the hydrothermal growth method. The structural study of ZnO nanorods was carried out by using field emission scanning electron microscopy [FESEM], and x-ray diffraction [XRD] techniques. This study demonstrated that the grown ZnO nanorods are well align, uniform, good in crystal quality and possess diameter of less than 200 nm. Energy dispersive x-rays [EDX] revealed that the ZnO nanorods are only composed of zinc, cerium as seed atom and oxygen atoms and no any other impurity in the grown nanorods. Moreover, photoluminescence [PL] approach was applied for the optical characterisation and it was observed that the near-band-edge emission [NBE] was same to that of zinc acetate seed layer, however the green emission and orange/red emission peaks were slightly raised due to possible higher level of defects in the cerium oxide seeded ZnO nanorods. This study provides an alternative approach for the synthesis of controlled ZnO nanorods using cerium oxide nanoparticles as seed nucleation layer which in reverse describe the application of these nanoparticles as well as due to controlled morphology of ZnO nanorods the performance of nanodevices based on ZnO can be increased using these particles as seed.

Electrical transport properties of single ZnO nanorods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heo, Y.W.; Tien, L.C.; Norton, D.P.; Kang, B.S.; Ren, F.; Gila, B.P.; Pearton, S.J.

2004-01-01

Single ZnO nanorods with diameters of ∼130 nm were grown on Au-coated Al 2 O 3 substrates by catalyst-driven molecular beam epitaxy. Individual nanorods were removed from the substrate and placed between Ohmic contact pads and the current-voltage characteristics measured as a function of temperature and gas ambient. In the temperature range from 25 to 150 deg. C, the resistivity of nanorods treated in H 2 at 400 deg. C prior to measurement showed an activation energy of 0.089±0.02 eV and was insensitive to the ambient used (C 2 H 4 ,N 2 O,O 2 or 10% H 2 in N 2 ). By sharp contrast, the conductivity of nanorods not treated in H 2 was sensitive to trace concentrations of gases in the measurement ambient even at room temperature, demonstrating their potential as gas sensors

Synthesis of supported silver nano-spheres on zinc oxide nanorods for visible light photocatalytic applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saoud, Khaled [Virginia Commonwealth University-Qatar, Doha (Qatar); Alsoubaihi, Rola [Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA (United States); Bensalah, Nasr [Qatar University, Doha (Qatar); Bora, Tanujjal [Chair in Nanotechnology, Water Research Center, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Al-Khoudh-123 (Oman); Bertino, Massimo [Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA (United States); Dutta, Joydeep, E-mail: dutta@squ.edu.om [Chair in Nanotechnology, Water Research Center, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Al-Khoudh-123 (Oman)

2015-03-15

Highlights: • Synthesis of supported Ag NPs on ZnO nanorods using open vessel microwave reactor. • Use of the Ag/ZnO NPs as an efficient visible light photocatalyst. • Complete degradation of methylene blue in 1 h with 0.5 g/L Ag/ZnO NPs. - Abstract: We report the synthesis of silver (Ag) nano-spheres (NS) supported on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods through two step mechanism, using open vessel microwave reactor. Direct reduction of ZnO from zinc nitrates was followed by deposition precipitation of the silver on the ZnO nanorods. The supported Ag/ZnO nanoparticles were then characterized by electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, FTIR, photoluminescence and UV–vis spectroscopy. The visible light photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZnO system was investigated using a test contaminant, methylene blue (MB). Almost complete removal of MB in about 60 min for doses higher than 0.5 g/L of the Ag/ZnO photocatalyst was achieved. This significant improvement in the photocatalytic efficiency of Ag/ZnO photocatalyst under visible light irradiation can be attributed to the presence of Ag nanoparticles on the ZnO nanoparticles which greatly enhances absorption in the visible range of solar spectrum enabled by surface plasmon resonance effect from Ag nanoparticles.

Single crystalline ZnO nanorods grown by a simple hydrothermal process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pei, L.Z., E-mail: lzpei1977@163.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Molecular Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Key Lab of Materials Science and Processing of Anhui Province, Anhui University of Technology, Ma' anshan, Anhui 243002 (China); Zhao, H.S. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Molecular Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Key Lab of Materials Science and Processing of Anhui Province, Anhui University of Technology, Ma' anshan, Anhui 243002 (China); Tan, W. [Henkel Huawei Electronics Co. Ltd., Lian' yungang, Jiangsu 222006 (China); Yu, H.Y. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Molecular Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Key Lab of Materials Science and Processing of Anhui Province, Anhui University of Technology, Ma' anshan, Anhui 243002 (China); Chen, Y.W. [Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Zhang Qianfeng [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Molecular Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Key Lab of Materials Science and Processing of Anhui Province, Anhui University of Technology, Ma' anshan, Anhui 243002 (China)

2009-09-15

Single crystalline ZnO nanorods with wurtzite structure have been prepared by a simple hydrothermal process. The microstructure and composition of the products were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDS) and Raman spectrum. The nanorods have diameters ranging from 100 nm to 800 nm and length of longer than 10 {mu}m. Raman peak at 437.8 cm{sup -1} displays the characteristic peak of wurtzite ZnO. Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum shows a blue light emission at 441 nm, which is related to radiative recombination of photo-generated holes with singularly ionized oxygen vacancies.

Single crystalline ZnO nanorods grown by a simple hydrothermal process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pei, L.Z.; Zhao, H.S.; Tan, W.; Yu, H.Y.; Chen, Y.W.; Zhang Qianfeng

2009-01-01

Single crystalline ZnO nanorods with wurtzite structure have been prepared by a simple hydrothermal process. The microstructure and composition of the products were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDS) and Raman spectrum. The nanorods have diameters ranging from 100 nm to 800 nm and length of longer than 10 μm. Raman peak at 437.8 cm -1 displays the characteristic peak of wurtzite ZnO. Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum shows a blue light emission at 441 nm, which is related to radiative recombination of photo-generated holes with singularly ionized oxygen vacancies.

Characteristics of zinc oxide nanorod array/titanium oxide film heterojunction prepared by aqueous solution deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ming-Kwei; Hong, Min-Hsuan; Li, Bo-Wei

2016-07-01

The characteristics of a ZnO nanorod array/TiO2 film heterojunction were investigated. A TiO2 film was prepared on glass by aqueous solution deposition with precursors of ammonium hexafluorotitanate and boric acid at 40 °C. Then, a ZnO seed layer was prepared on a TiO2 film/glass substrate by RF sputtering. A vertically oriented ZnO nanorod array was grown on a ZnO seed layer/TiO2 film/glass substrate by aqueous solution deposition with precursors of zinc nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) at 70 °C. After thermal annealing in N2O ambient at 300 °C, this heterojunction used as an oxygen gas sensor shows much better rise time, decay time, and on/off current ratio than as-grown and annealed ZnO nanorods.

Optimization of an Electron Transport Layer to Enhance the Power Conversion Efficiency of Flexible Inverted Organic Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Kang Hyuck

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The photovoltaic (PV performance of flexible inverted organic solar cells (IOSCs with an active layer consisting of a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene and [6, 6]-phenyl C61-butlyric acid methyl ester was investigated by varying the thicknesses of ZnO seed layers and introducing ZnO nanorods (NRs. A ZnO seed layer or ZnO NRs grown on the seed layer were used as an electron transport layer and pathway to optimize PV performance. ZnO seed layers were deposited using spin coating at 3,000 rpm for 30 s onto indium tin oxide (ITO-coated polyethersulphone (PES substrates. The ZnO NRs were grown using an aqueous solution method at a low temperature (90°C. The optimized device with ZnO NRs exhibited a threefold increase in PV performance compared with that of a device consisting of a ZnO seed layer without ZnO NRs. Flexible IOSCs fabricated using ZnO NRs with improved PV performance may pave the way for the development of PV devices with larger interface areas for effective exciton dissociation and continuous carrier transport paths.

A selective potentiometric copper (II) ion sensor based on the functionalized ZnO nanorods.

Science.gov (United States)

Khun, K; Ibupoto, Z H; Liu, X; Nur, O; Willander, M; Danielsson, B

2014-09-01

In this work, ZnO nanorods were hydrothermally grown on the gold-coated glass substrate and characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The ZnO nanorods were functionalized by two different approaches and performance of the sensor electrode was monitored. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was carried out for the confirmation of interaction between the ionophore molecules and ZnO nanorods. In addition to this, the surface of the electrode was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showing the chemical and electronic state of the ionophore and ZnO nanorod components. The ionophore solution was prepared in the stabilizer, poly vinyl chloride (PVC) and additives, and then functionalized on the ZnO nanorods that have shown the Nernstian response with the slope of 31 mV/decade. However, the Cu2+ ion sensor was fabricated only by immobilizing the selective copper ion ionophore membrane without the use of PVC, plasticizers, additives and stabilizers and the sensor electrode showed a linear potentiometric response with a slope of 56.4 mV/decade within a large dynamic concentration range (from 1.0 x 10(-6) to 1.0 x 10(-1) M) of copper (II) nitrate solutions. The sensor showed excellent repeatability and reproducibility with response time of less than 10 s. The negligible response to potentially interfering metal ions such as calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), potassium (K+), iron (Fe3+), zinc (Zn2+), and sodium (Na+) allows this sensor to be used in biological studies. It may also be used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration.

PDMS-based triboelectric and transparent nanogenerators with ZnO nanorod arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Yeong Hwan; Nagaraju, Goli; Lee, Soo Hyun; Yu, Jae Su

2014-05-14

Vertically-grown ZnO nanorod arrays (NRAs) on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET), as a top electrode of nanogenerators, were investigated for the antireflective property as well as an efficient contact surface in bare polydimethysiloxane (PDMS)-based triboelectric nanogenerators. Compared to conventional ITO-coated PET (i.e., ITO/PET), the ZnO NRAs considerably suppressed the reflectance from 20 to 9.7% at wavelengths of 300-1100 nm, creating a highly transparent top electrode, as demonstrated by theoretical analysis. Also, the interval time between the peaks of generated output voltage under external pushing forces was significantly decreased from 1.84 to 0.19 s because the reduced contact area of the PDMS by discrete surfaces of the ZnO NRAs on ITO/PET causes a rapid sequence for triboelectric charge generation process including rubbing and separating. Therefore, the use of this top electrode enabled to operate the transparent PDMS-based triboelectric nanogenerator at high frequency of external pushing force. Under different external forces of 0.3-10 kgf, the output voltage and current were also characterized.

Low temperature growth and properties of ZnO nanorod arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Xiang; Zheng, Yufeng; Chen, Huibo; Gong, Lihong; Qu, Fengyu

2011-01-01

In this paper, well aligned ZnO nanorod arrays were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal route at a low temperature. The diameters of the as-synthesized products were 20–60 nm and the lengths were as much as several micrometers. The surfaces and tops of the nanorods were smooth. The as-grown nanorod arrays were investigated by x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and contact angle (CA) analysis. The as-grown nanorods were single crystalline structures with a wurtzite phase, and grew along the [0001] direction. The PL spectrum with only one strong peak at 383 nm shows good intrinsic emission

A novel, substrate independent three-step process for the growth of uniform ZnO nanorod arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byrne, D.; McGlynn, E.; Henry, M.O.; Kumar, K.; Hughes, G.

2010-01-01

We report a three-step deposition process for uniform arrays of ZnO nanorods, involving chemical bath deposition of aligned seed layers followed by nanorod nucleation sites and subsequent vapour phase transport growth of nanorods. This combines chemical bath deposition techniques, which enable substrate independent seeding and nucleation site generation with vapour phase transport growth of high crystalline and optical quality ZnO nanorod arrays. Our data indicate that the three-step process produces uniform nanorod arrays with narrow and rather monodisperse rod diameters (∼ 70 nm) across substrates of centimetre dimensions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to study the growth mechanism and characterise the nanostructures.

Doping effects of Co2+ ions on ZnO nanorods and their photocatalytic properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu Xiaoqing; Li Guangshe; Sun Xuefei; Li Liping; Fu Xianzhi

2008-01-01

A series of Zn 1-x Co x O nanorods with dopant content ranging from x = 0.00 to 0.10 was prepared by a wet chemical method. All Zn 1-x Co x O samples were investigated by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersion x-ray line mapping analysis, and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. It was found that Co 2+ ions were homogeneously substituted for Zn 2+ ions in ZnO nanorods. Rhodamine B degradation was used as a probe reaction to evaluate the effect of Co 2+ doping on ZnO nanorods and photocatalytic performance under UV light and visible light irradiation. Co 2+ ions acted as the trapping or recombination centers for electrons and holes, leading to a reduction in photodegradation efficiency under UV light illumination. Alternatively, Co 2+ ions enhanced the optical absorption and produced the photoinduced carriers under visible illumination in terms of two charge transfer transitions involving Co 2+ ions. Consequently, Co 2+ ions substituted in the lattice of ZnO nanorods significantly improved the visible light photocatalytic activity

Electrochemical properties of TiO{sub 2} encapsulated ZnO nanorod aggregates dye sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Justin Raj, C.; Karthick, S.N.; Dennyson Savariraj, A.; Hemalatha, K.V.; Park, Song-Ki; Kim, Hee-Je [Pusan National University, Department of Electrical Engineering, San 30, Jangjeong-Dong, Gumjeong-Ku, Busan 609 735 (Korea, Republic of); Prabakar, K., E-mail: prabakar@pusan.ac.kr [Pusan National University, Department of Electrical Engineering, San 30, Jangjeong-Dong, Gumjeong-Ku, Busan 609 735 (Korea, Republic of)

2012-10-05

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ZnO nanorod aggregates were synthesized by simple co-precipitation technique. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer TiO{sub 2} encapsulated ZnO nanorod aggregates photoanode was used for the DSSC. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer TiO{sub 2} encapsulated ZnO nanorod aggregates shows an enhanced efficiency. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The electron recombination and transport properties were studied using EIS method. - Abstract: Dye sensitized solar cells based on TiO{sub 2} encapsulated ZnO nanorod (NR) aggregates were fabricated and electrochemical performance was analyzed using impedance spectroscopy as a function of forward bias voltage. Charge transfer properties such as electron life time ({tau}{sub n}), electron diffusion coefficient (D{sub n}) and electron diffusion length (L{sub n}) were calculated in order to ensure the influence of TiO{sub 2} layer over the ZnO NR aggregates. It is found that the short circuit current density (Jsc = 5.8 mA cm{sup -2}), open circuit potential (V{sub oc} = 0.743 V), fill factor (FF = 0.57) and conversion efficiency are significantly improved by the introduction of TiO{sub 2} layer over ZnO photoanode. A power conversion efficiency of about 2.48% has been achieved for TiO{sub 2}/ZnO cell, which is higher than that of bare ZnO NR aggregate based cells (1.73%). The formation of an inherent energy barrier between TiO{sub 2} and ZnO films and the passivation of surface traps on the ZnO film caused by the introduction of TiO{sub 2} layer increase the dye absorption and favor the electron transport which may be responsible for the enhanced performance of TiO{sub 2}/ZnO cell.

Highly sensitive hydrogen detection of catalyst-free ZnO nanorod networks suspended by lithography-assisted growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huh, Junghwan; Kim, Gyu Tae; Park, Jonghyurk; Park, Jeong Young

2011-01-01

We have successfully demonstrated a ZnO nanorod-based 3D nanostructure to show a high sensitivity and very fast response/recovery to hydrogen gas. ZnO nanorods have been synthesized selectively over the pre-defined area at relatively low temperature using a simple self-catalytic solution process assisted by a lithographic method. The conductance of the ZnO nanorod device varies significantly as the concentration of the hydrogen is changed without any additive metal catalyst, revealing a high sensitivity to hydrogen gas. Its superior performance can be explained by the porous structure of its three-dimensional network and the enhanced surface reaction of the hydrogen molecules with the oxygen defects resulting from a high surface-to-volume ratio. It was found that the change of conductance follows a power law depending on the hydrogen concentration. A Langmuir isotherm following an ideal power law and a cross-over behavior of the activation energy with respect to hydrogen concentration were observed. This is a very novel and intriguing phenomenon on nanostructured materials, which suggests competitive surface reactions in ZnO nanorod gas sensors.

Highly sensitive hydrogen detection of catalyst-free ZnO nanorod networks suspended by lithography-assisted growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Huh, Junghwan; Park, Jonghyurk; Kim, Gyu Tae; Park, Jeong Young

2011-02-25

We have successfully demonstrated a ZnO nanorod-based 3D nanostructure to show a high sensitivity and very fast response/recovery to hydrogen gas. ZnO nanorods have been synthesized selectively over the pre-defined area at relatively low temperature using a simple self-catalytic solution process assisted by a lithographic method. The conductance of the ZnO nanorod device varies significantly as the concentration of the hydrogen is changed without any additive metal catalyst, revealing a high sensitivity to hydrogen gas. Its superior performance can be explained by the porous structure of its three-dimensional network and the enhanced surface reaction of the hydrogen molecules with the oxygen defects resulting from a high surface-to-volume ratio. It was found that the change of conductance follows a power law depending on the hydrogen concentration. A Langmuir isotherm following an ideal power law and a cross-over behavior of the activation energy with respect to hydrogen concentration were observed. This is a very novel and intriguing phenomenon on nanostructured materials, which suggests competitive surface reactions in ZnO nanorod gas sensors.

Luminescence properties of hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Yatskiv, Roman; Grym, Jan

2016-01-01

Roč. 99, 1November (2016), s. 214-220 ISSN 0749-6036 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LD14111; GA ČR GA15-17044S Institutional support: RVO:67985882 Keywords : Photoluminescence * Annealing * ZnO nanorods Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 2.123, year: 2016

Enhanced photocatalytic activity and synthesis of ZnO nanorods/MoS2 composites

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hui; Shen, Hao; Duan, Libing; Liu, Ruidi; Li, Qiang; Zhang, Qian; Zhao, Xiaoru

2018-05-01

A stable and recyclable organic degradation catalyst based on MoS2 functionalized ZnO nanorods was introduced. ZnO nanorods were synthesized on the glass substrates (2 cm*2 cm) by sol-gel method and hydrothermal method and functionalized with MoS2 via an argon flow annealing method. The structure and morphology of the as-prepared samples were characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM. Results showed that a small amount of MoS2 was successfully wrapped on the surfaces of ZnO nanorods. XPS analyses showed the existence of Zn-S between ZnO and MoS2, indicating that the MoS2 was combined with ZnO through chemical bonds and formed the ZnO/MoS2 heterostructure. PL results revealed that ZnO/MoS2 had lower fluorescence spectra indicating an electron transport channel between ZnO and MoS2 which separated electrons and holes. Photocatalytic experiment showed that ZnO/MoS2 composites showed a better photodegradation performance of Rhodamine B (RhB) after functionalized with MoS2 under the UV light irradiation which could be attributed to the separation and transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes between ZnO and MoS2. Meanwhile, the high active adsorption sites on the edges of MoS2 also accelerated the degradation process. Furthermore, the scavengers were used to investigate the major active species and results indicated that h+ was the major reactive species for the degradation.

A simple route to scalable fabrication of perfectly ordered ZnO nanorod arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, D F; Xiang, Y J; Liao, Q; Zhang, J P; Wu, X C; Zhang, Z X; Liu, L F; Ma, W J; Shen, J; Zhou, W Y; Xie, S S

2007-01-01

ZnO nanorod arrays with perfect order and uniformity were prepared using a simple, low-cost, commonly available and scalable nanosphere lithography for patterning gold catalyst particles and a successive bottom-up growth technique in a tube furnace chemical vapor deposition system. Each rod in the arrays had perfect surface facets, sharp edges and uniform size. For all of the rods, their sides were oriented the same. This bottom-up assembly method may accelerate the use of ZnO nanorods in real device applications

Effect of annealing temperature on surface morphology and work function of ZnO nanorod arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Hainan [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063 (China); Xue, Mingshan, E-mail: xuems04@mails.ucas.ac.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063 (China); Ou, Junfei [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063 (China); Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Solar Cell Materials and Technology, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164 (China); Wang, Fajun [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063 (China); Li, Wen, E-mail: wenl@ualberta.ca [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063 (China)

2013-07-15

Highlights: •The 600°C and 450°C isothermal sections of the Zn-Fe-B system are determined. •The solubility of Zn in Fe{sub 2}B and FeB at 600°C is 1.8 at.% and 2.5 at.%, respectively. •The solubility of Zn in Fe{sub 2}B and FeB at 450°C is 1.7 at.% and 2.1 at.%, respectively. •All Fe-Zn compounds can be in equilibrium with Fe{sub 2}B at 450°C. •Both FeB and Fe{sub 2}B are in equilibrium with the liquid phase at 600°C. -- Abstract: A simple and effective method of fabricating nanomaterials and the understanding of their electronic structures are significant for designing novel nanodevices. In this study, ZnO nanorod arrays on ITO substrate were synthesized by electrochemical deposition, and the effect of annealing temperature on surface morphology and especially work function was investigated using various techniques. The results indicated that the formation of hexagonal ZnO nanorod arrays with (0 0 0 1) orientation was strongly associated with the annealing temperature. The work function of well-aligned ZnO nanorod arrays is 4.84 eV, which shows an obvious dependence on the arrangement of ZnO nanorod arrays. These changes in work function of ZnO nanorod arrays (e.g., used as the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells) are important to understand the electron transport of related nanodevices.

Morphology-controllable of Sn doped ZnO nanorods prepared by spray pyrolysis for transparent electrode application

Science.gov (United States)

Hameed, M. Shahul; Princice, J. Joseph; Babu, N. Ramesh; Zahirullah, S. Syed; Deshmukh, Sampat G.; Arunachalam, A.

2018-05-01

Transparent conductive Sn doped ZnO nanorods have been deposited at various doping level by spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrate. The structural, surface morphological and optical properties of these films have been investigated with the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and UV-Vis spectrophotometer respectively. XRD patterns revealed a successful high quality growth of single crystal ZnO nanorods with hexagonal wurtzite structure having (002) preferred orientation. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the prepared films exposed the uniform distribution of Sn doped ZnO nanorod shaped grains. All these films were highly transparent in the visible region with average transmittance of 90%.

Evolution of Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO Nanorods Grown on Vacuum Annealed Seed Crystallites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Waqar Khan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, the ambient condition for the as-coated seed layer (SL annealing at 350 °C is varied from air or nitrogen to vacuum to examine the evolution of structural and optical properties of ZnO nanorods (NRs. The NR crystals of high surface density (~240 rods/μm2 and aspect ratio (~20.3 show greatly enhanced (002 degree of orientation and crystalline quality, when grown on the SLs annealed in vacuum, compared to those annealed in air or nitrogen ambient. This is due to the vacuum-annealed SL crystals of a highly preferred orientation toward (002 and large grain sizes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy also reveals that the highest O/Zn atomic ratio of 0.89 is obtained in the case of vacuum-annealed SL crystals, which is due to the effective desorption of hydroxyl groups and other contaminants adsorbed on the surface formed during aqueous solution-based growth process. Near band edge emission (ultra violet range of 360–400 nm of the vacuum-annealed SLs is also enhanced by 44% and 33% as compared to those annealed in air and nitrogen ambient, respectively, in photoluminescence with significant suppression of visible light emission associated with deep level transition. Due to this improvement of SL optical crystalline quality, the NR crystals grown on the vacuum-annealed SLs produce ~3 times higher ultra violet emission intensity than the other samples. In summary, it is shown that the ZnO NRs preferentially grow along the wurtzite c-axis direction, thereby producing the high crystalline quality of nanostructures when they grow on the vacuum-annealed SLs of high crystalline quality with minimized impurities and excellent preferred orientation. The ZnO nanostructures of high crystalline quality achieved in this study can be utilized for a wide range of potential device applications such as laser diodes, light-emitting diodes, piezoelectric transducers and generators, gas sensors, and ultraviolet detectors.

Bias-polarity-dependent UV/visible transferable electroluminescence from ZnO nanorod array LED with graphene oxide electrode supporting layer

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Weizhen; Wang, Wei; Xu, Haiyang; Li, Xinghua; Yang, Liu; Ma, Jiangang; Liu, Yichun

2015-09-01

A simple top electrode preparation process, employing continuous graphene oxide films as electrode supporting layers, was adopted to fabricate a ZnO nanorod array/p-GaN heterojunction LED. The achieved LED demonstrated different electroluminescence behaviors under forward and reverse biases: a yellow-red emission band was observed under forward bias, whereas a blue-UV emission peak was obtained under reverse bias. Electroluminescence spectra under different currents and temperatures, as well as heterojunction energy-band alignments, reveal that the yellow-red emission under forward bias originates from recombinations related to heterointerface defects, whereas the blue-UV electroluminescence under reverse bias is ascribed to transitions from near-band-edge and Mg-acceptor levels in p-GaN.

Photoelectrocatalytic activity of a hydrothermally grown branched Zno nanorod-array electrode for paracetamol degradation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chin Jung; Liao, Shu-Jun; Kao, Li-Cheng; Liou, Sofia Ya Hsuan

2015-06-30

Hierarchical branched ZnO nanorod (B-ZnR) arrays as an electrode for efficient photoelectrocatalytic degradation of paracetamol were grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates using a solution route. The morphologic and structural studies show the ZnO trunks are single-crystalline hexagonal wurtzite ZnO with a [0001] growth direction and are densely covered by c-axis-oriented ZnO branches. The obvious enhancement in photocurrent response of the B-ZnR electrode was obtained than that in the ZnO nanoparticle (ZnO NP) electrode. For the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of paracetamol in 20 h, the conversion fraction of the drug increased from 32% over ZnO NP electrode to 62% over B-ZnR arrays with about 3-fold increase in initial reaction rate. The light intensity-dependent photoelectrocatalytic experiment indicated that the superior performance over the B-ZnR electrode was mainly ascribed to the increased specific surface area without significantly sacrificing the charge transport and pollutant diffusion efficiencies. Two aromatic intermediate compounds were observed and eventually converted into harmless carboxylic acids and ammonia. Hierarchical tree-like ZnO arrays can be considered effective alternatives to improve photoelectro degradation rates without the need for expensive additives. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Different Seed Solutions on the Morphology and Electrooptical Properties of ZnO Nanorods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Kashif

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The morphology and electrooptical properties of ZnO nanorods synthesized on monoethanolamine-based seed layer and KOH-based seed layer were compared. The seed solutions were prepared in monoethanolamine in 2-methoxyethanol and potassium hydroxide in methanol, respectively. Zinc acetate dihydrate was as a common precursor in both solutions. The nanorod-ZnOs were synthesized via the spin coating of two different seed solutions on silicon substrates followed by their hydrothermal growth. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM, X-ray diffraction (XRD, photoluminescence (PL, and Raman studies revealed that the ZnO nanorods obtained from monoethanolamine-based seed layer had fewer defects, better crystals, and better alignment than those realized via KOH-based seed layer. However, the current-voltage (I-V characteristics demonstrated better conductivity of the ZnO nanorods obtained via KOH-based seed layer. The current measured in forward bias was 4 mA and 40 μA for ZnO-nanorods grown on KOH-based seed layer and monoethanolamine-based with the turn on voltage of approximately 1.5 V and 2.5 V, respectively, showing the feasibility of using both structures in optoelectric devices.

Growth of thin film containing high density ZnO nanorods with low temperature calcinated seed layer

Science.gov (United States)

Panda, Rudrashish; Samal, Rudranarayan; Khatua, Lizina; Das, Susanta Kumar

2018-05-01

In this work we demonstrate the growth of thin film containing high density ZnO nanorods by using drop casting of the seed layer calcinated at a low temperature of 132 °C. Chemical bath deposition (CBD) method is used to grow the nanorods. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) are performed for the structural and morphological characterizations of the nanorods. The average diameter and length of nanorods are found to be 33 nm and 270 nm respectively. The bandgap of the material is estimated to be 3.2 eV from the UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy. The reported method is much more cost-effective and can be used for growth of ZnO nanorods for various applications.

Enhancement in the structure quality of ZnO nanorods by diluted Co dopants: Analyses via optical second harmonic generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Chung-Wei; Hsiao, Chih-Hung; Chang, Shoou-Jinn; Brahma, Sanjaya; Chang, Feng Ming; Wang, Peng Han; Lo, Kuang-Yao

2015-01-01

We report a systematic study about the effect of cobalt concentration in the growth solution over the crystallization, growth, and optical properties of hydrothermally synthesized Zn 1−x Co x O [0 ≤ x ≤ 0.40, x is the weight (wt.) % of Co in the growth solution] nanorods. Dilute Co concentration of 1 wt. % in the growth solution enhances the bulk crystal quality of ZnO nanorods, and high wt. % leads to distortion in the ZnO lattice that depresses the crystallization, growth as well as the surface structure quality of ZnO. Although, Co concentration in the growth solution varies from 1 to 40 wt. %, the real doping concentration is limited to 0.28 at. % that is due to the low growth temperature of 80 °C. The enhancement in the crystal quality of ZnO nanorods at dilute Co concentration in the solution is due to the strain relaxation that is significantly higher for ZnO nanorods prepared without, and with high wt. % of Co in the growth solution. Second harmonic generation is used to investigate the net dipole distribution from these coatings, which provides detailed information about bulk and surface structure quality of ZnO nanorods at the same time. High quality ZnO nanorods are fabricated by a low-temperature (80 °C) hydrothermal synthesis method, and no post synthesis treatment is needed for further crystallization. Therefore, this method is advantageous for the growth of high quality ZnO coatings on plastic substrates that may lead toward its application in flexible electronics

Preparation of ZnO nanorods on conductive PET-ITO-Ag fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yiwen; Ji, Shuai; Chen, Yuanyu; Zhang, Hong; Gong, Yumei; Guo, Jing

2016-12-01

We studied the vertical ZnO nanorods grown on conductive conventional polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers which are prepared by electroless silver depositing on tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) coated PET fibers through an efficient and low-cost green approach. The PET fibers were firstly functionalized with a layer of ITO gel synthesized through a sol-gel process at rather low temperature, simply by immersing the fibers into ITO sol for several minutes followed by gelation at 120 °C. Once the ITO gel layer surface was activated by SnCl2, a continuous, uniform, and compact layer of silver was carried out on the surface of the PET-ITO fibers through electroless plating operation at room temperature. The as-prepared PET-ITO-Ag fibers had good electrical conductivity, with surface resistivity as low as 0.23 mΩ cm. The overall procedure is simple, efficient, nontoxic, and controllable. The conductive PET-ITO-Ag fiber was used successfully as a flexible basal material to plant vertical ZnO nanorods through controlling the seeding and growth processes. The morphology of the PET-ITO, PET-ITO-Ag, and PET-ITO-Ag-ZnO fibers were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Undergone the whole process, although the tensile strength of the fiber decreased slightly, they may still exert their applications in flexible electronic such as photovoltaic and piezoelectric devices.

On the growth and photocatalytic activity of the vertically aligned ZnO nanorods grafted by CdS shells

Science.gov (United States)

Zirak, M.; Moradlou, O.; Bayati, M. R.; Nien, Y. T.; Moshfegh, A. Z.

2013-05-01

We have studied systematically photocatalytic properties of the vertically aligned ZnO@CdS core-shell nanorods where the features were grown through a multistep procedure including sol-gel for the formation of ZnO seed layer, hydrothermal process to grow ZnO nanorods, and successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) process to deposit CdS nanoshells onto the ZnO nanorods. Formation of the ZnO seed layer and vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (d ∼ 40 nm) with a hexagonal cross-section was confirmed by AFM and SEM imaging. Successful capping of ZnO nanorods with homogeneous CdS nanocrystallites (∼5 nm) was ascertained by HRTEM diffraction and imaging. Optical properties of the samples were also studied using UV-vis spectrophotometry. It was found that the absorption edge of the CdS shell has a red shift when its thickness increases. Photocatalytic activity of the samples was examined by photodecomposition of methylene blue under UV and visible lights where the maximum reaction rate constant was found to be 0.012 min-1 under UV illumination and 0.007 min-1 under visible light. The difference in catalytic activities of the ZnO@CdS core-shell nanorods under UV and visible irradiations was explained based upon the electronic structure as well as the arrangement of the energy levels in the ZnO@CdS core-shells. It is shown that the structure and photocatalytic efficiency of the samples can be tuned by manipulating the SILAR variables.

On the growth and photocatalytic activity of the vertically aligned ZnO nanorods grafted by CdS shells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zirak, M.; Moradlou, O.; Bayati, M.R.; Nien, Y.T.; Moshfegh, A.Z.

2013-01-01

We have studied systematically photocatalytic properties of the vertically aligned ZnO@CdS core–shell nanorods where the features were grown through a multistep procedure including sol–gel for the formation of ZnO seed layer, hydrothermal process to grow ZnO nanorods, and successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) process to deposit CdS nanoshells onto the ZnO nanorods. Formation of the ZnO seed layer and vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (d ∼ 40 nm) with a hexagonal cross-section was confirmed by AFM and SEM imaging. Successful capping of ZnO nanorods with homogeneous CdS nanocrystallites (∼5 nm) was ascertained by HRTEM diffraction and imaging. Optical properties of the samples were also studied using UV–vis spectrophotometry. It was found that the absorption edge of the CdS shell has a red shift when its thickness increases. Photocatalytic activity of the samples was examined by photodecomposition of methylene blue under UV and visible lights where the maximum reaction rate constant was found to be 0.012 min −1 under UV illumination and 0.007 min −1 under visible light. The difference in catalytic activities of the ZnO@CdS core–shell nanorods under UV and visible irradiations was explained based upon the electronic structure as well as the arrangement of the energy levels in the ZnO@CdS core–shells. It is shown that the structure and photocatalytic efficiency of the samples can be tuned by manipulating the SILAR variables.

On the growth and photocatalytic activity of the vertically aligned ZnO nanorods grafted by CdS shells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zirak, M. [Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11555-9161, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Moradlou, O. [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Alzahra University, P.O. Box 1993893973, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Bayati, M.R. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7907 (United States); Nien, Y.T. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Formosa University, Huwei District, Taiwan (China); Moshfegh, A.Z., E-mail: moshfegh@sharif.edu [Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11555-9161, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 14588-8969, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2013-05-15

We have studied systematically photocatalytic properties of the vertically aligned ZnO@CdS core–shell nanorods where the features were grown through a multistep procedure including sol–gel for the formation of ZnO seed layer, hydrothermal process to grow ZnO nanorods, and successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) process to deposit CdS nanoshells onto the ZnO nanorods. Formation of the ZnO seed layer and vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (d ∼ 40 nm) with a hexagonal cross-section was confirmed by AFM and SEM imaging. Successful capping of ZnO nanorods with homogeneous CdS nanocrystallites (∼5 nm) was ascertained by HRTEM diffraction and imaging. Optical properties of the samples were also studied using UV–vis spectrophotometry. It was found that the absorption edge of the CdS shell has a red shift when its thickness increases. Photocatalytic activity of the samples was examined by photodecomposition of methylene blue under UV and visible lights where the maximum reaction rate constant was found to be 0.012 min{sup −1} under UV illumination and 0.007 min{sup −1} under visible light. The difference in catalytic activities of the ZnO@CdS core–shell nanorods under UV and visible irradiations was explained based upon the electronic structure as well as the arrangement of the energy levels in the ZnO@CdS core–shells. It is shown that the structure and photocatalytic efficiency of the samples can be tuned by manipulating the SILAR variables.

A potentiometric biosensor for the detection of notch 3 using functionalized ZnO nanorods.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibupoto, Z H; Khun, K; Liu, X; Willander, M

2014-09-01

The notch signalling plays a vital and radical role for the activity of cellular proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. In this study, for the first time a particular biosensor is developed for the detection of notch 3. ZnO nanorods were fabricated on the gold coated glass substrate by hydrothermal method and afterwards were decorated with the gold nanoparticles by electrodepositing technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has shown the perpendicular to the substrate growth pattern of ZnO nanorods. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies showed the c-axis oriented growth direction with wurtzite crystal structure of ZnO nanorods. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques have shown the presence of Zn, O and Au atoms in the prepared functional material. Furthermore, the anti-notch 3 was physically adsorbed on the gold nanoparticles functionalized ZnO nanorods. The developed potentiometric immunosensor has shown response to the wide range of notch 3 molecules. The detected range included 1.00 x 10(-5)-1.50 x 10(0 ) μg/mL with a sensitivity of 23.15 ± 0.31 mV/decade. The analytical parameters including reproducibility, stability, and selectivity were also investigated and the observed results indicate the acceptable performance of the notch 3 biosensor. Moreover, the proposed notch 3 biosensor exhibited a fast response time of 10 s.

Effects of the aspect ratio on the dye adsorption of ZnO nanorods grown by using a sonochemical method for dye-sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Seok Cheol; Yun, Won Suk; Sohn, Sang Ho; Oh, Sang Jin

2012-01-01

Well-aligned ZnO nanorods for the photoelectrode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were grown via a sonochemical method, and the effects of their aspect ratios on the dye adsorption in DSSCs were studied. The control of the aspect ratio of well-aligned ZnO nanorods was performed by tuning the mole concentration of zinc acetate dehydrate in the range of 0.04 ∼ 0.06M. The dye amounts adsorbed in the ZnO nanorods were estimated from the UV-Visible absorbance by using the Beer-Lambert law. The efficiency of DSSCs with ZnO nanorods was measured to investigate the effects of the aspect ratio of the ZnO nanorods on the dye adsorption properties. A change in the aspect ratio of the ZnO nanorods was founded to yield a change in their dye adsorption ability, resulting in a change in the efficiency of the DSSCs.

An approach to fabricating chemical sensors based on ZnO nanorod arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jae Young; Song, Dong Eon; Kim, Sang Sub

2008-01-01

Vertically and laterally aligned ZnO nanorod arrays were synthesized on Pt-coated Si substrates by catalyst-free metal organic chemical vapor deposition. An approach to fabricating chemical sensors based on the nanorod arrays using a coating-and-etching process with a photo-resist is reported. Tests of the devices as oxygen gas sensors have been performed. Our results demonstrate that the approach holds promise for the realization of sensitive and reliable nanorod array chemical sensors

Rapid thermal melted TiO2 nano-particles into ZnO nano-rod and its application for dye sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chao, Ching-Hsun; Chang, Chi-Lung; Chan, Chien-Hung; Lien, Shui-Yang; Weng, Ko-Wei; Yao, Kuo-Shan

2010-01-01

TiO 2 nano-particles with an anchored ZnO nano-rod structure were synthesized using the hydrothermal method to grow ZnO nano-rods and coated TiO 2 nano-particles on ZnO nano-rods using the rapid thermal annealing method on ITO conducting glass pre-coated with nano porous TiO 2 film. The XRD study showed that there was little difference in crystal composition for various types of TiO 2 nano-particles anchored to ZnO nano-rods. The as-prepared architecture was characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Films with TiO 2 nano-particles anchored to ZnO nano-rods were used as electrode materials to fabricate dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The best solar energy conversion efficiency of 2.397% was obtained by modified electrode material, under AM 1.5 illumination, achieved up to J sc = 15.382 mA/cm 2 , V oc = 0.479 V and fill factor = 32.8%.

Ultrafine Iridium Oxide Nanorods Synthesized by Molten Salt Method toward Electrocatalytic Oxygen and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, Jahangeer; Mao, Yuanbing

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Ultrafine iridium oxide nanorods were synthesized by a molten salt method at 650 °C. • They show enhanced electrocatalytic activity to oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions. • These results are comparable with, and in most cases, higher than reported data in the literature. • This study reports a novel synthetic process for IrO_2 but also a high efficient IrO_2 nanostructure. • These IrO_2 NRs are expected to serve as a benchmark to develop active electrocatalysts. - Abstract: Ultrafine iridium oxide nanorods (IrO_2 NRs) were successfully synthesized using a molten salt method at 650 °C. The structural and morphological characterizations of these IrO_2 NRs were carried out by powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopic techniques. Compared to commercial IrO_2 nanoparticles (IrO_2 NPs) and previous reports, these IrO_2 NRs show enhanced electrocatalytic activity to oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions by passing either N_2 or O_2 gas in a 0.5 M KOH electrolyte before electrochemical measurements, including cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Specifically, the current densities from the as-synthesized IrO_2 NRs and commercial IrO_2 NPs were measured in 0.5 M KOH electrolyte to be 70 and 58 (OER, deaerated, at 0.6 V versus Ag/AgCl), 71 and 61 (OER, O_2, from −0.10 to 1.0 V versus Ag/AgCl at 50 mV/s), and 25 and 14 (HER, deaerated, at −1.4 V versus Ag/AgCl) mA/cm"2, respectively. These results are comparable with, and in most cases, higher than reported data in the literature. Therefore, the current study reports not only a novel synthetic process for IrO_2 but also a high efficient IrO_2 nanostructure, and it is expected that these IrO_2 NRs can serve as a benchmark in the development of active OER and HER (photo)electrocatalysts for various applications.

Electrochemical L-Lactic Acid Sensor Based on Immobilized ZnO Nanorods with Lactate Oxidase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kimleang Khun

2012-02-01

Full Text Available In this work, fabrication of gold coated glass substrate, growth of ZnO nanorods and potentiometric response of lactic acid are explained. The biosensor was developed by immobilizing the lactate oxidase on the ZnO nanorods in combination with glutaraldehyde as a cross linker for lactate oxidase enzyme. The potentiometric technique was applied for the measuring the output (EMF response of L-lactic acid biosensor. We noticed that the present biosensor has wide linear detection range of concentration from 1 × 10−4–1 × 100 mM with acceptable sensitivity about 41.33 ± 1.58 mV/decade. In addition, the proposed biosensor showed fast response time less than 10 s, a good selectivity towards L-lactic acid in presence of common interfering substances such as ascorbic acid, urea, glucose, galactose, magnesium ions and calcium ions. The present biosensor based on immobilized ZnO nanorods with lactate oxidase sustained its stability for more than three weeks.

Electrochemical L-lactic acid sensor based on immobilized ZnO nanorods with lactate oxidase.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibupoto, Zafar Hussain; Shah, Syed Muhammad Usman Ali; Khun, Kimleang; Willander, Magnus

2012-01-01

In this work, fabrication of gold coated glass substrate, growth of ZnO nanorods and potentiometric response of lactic acid are explained. The biosensor was developed by immobilizing the lactate oxidase on the ZnO nanorods in combination with glutaraldehyde as a cross linker for lactate oxidase enzyme. The potentiometric technique was applied for the measuring the output (EMF) response of l-lactic acid biosensor. We noticed that the present biosensor has wide linear detection range of concentration from 1 × 10(-4)-1 × 10(0) mM with acceptable sensitivity about 41.33 ± 1.58 mV/decade. In addition, the proposed biosensor showed fast response time less than 10 s, a good selectivity towards l-lactic acid in presence of common interfering substances such as ascorbic acid, urea, glucose, galactose, magnesium ions and calcium ions. The present biosensor based on immobilized ZnO nanorods with lactate oxidase sustained its stability for more than three weeks.

Ultraviolet electroluminescence from zinc oxide nanorods/deoxyribonucleic acid hybrid bio light-emitting diode

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Rohini Bhardwaj; Nagpal, Swati; Arora, Swati; Bhatnagar, Pramod Kumar; Mathur, Parmatma Chandra

2011-01-01

Ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode using salmon deoxyribonucleic acid (sDNA)-cetyltrimethylammonium complex as an electron blocking layer and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods as emissive material was fabricated. UV emission, which was blue shifted up to 335 nm with respect to the band edge emission of 390 nm, was observed. This blue shift was caused due to accumulation of electrons in the conduction band of ZnO because of a high potential barrier existing at the sDNA/ZnO interface.

A simple method to prepare ZnO and Al(OH)3 nanorods by the reaction of the metals with liquid water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panchakarla, L.S.; Shah, M.A.; Govindaraj, A.; Rao, C.N.R.

2007-01-01

Reaction of liquid water with Zn and Al powders and foils have been investigated in the 25-75 deg. C range. The reaction of Zn metal powder with water in this temperature range yields ZnO nanorods. The diameter of the nanorods decreases slightly with the increase in the reaction temperature, accompanied by an increase in the relative intensity of UV emission band. Zn metal foils also yield ZnO nanorods on reaction with water in the 25-75 deg. C range. Reaction of Al metal powder or foil with water in the 25-75 deg. C range yields Al(OH) 3 nanorods. The formation of ZnO and Al(OH) 3 nanorods by the reaction of the metals with water is suggested to occur because of the decomposition of water by the metal giving hydrogen. - Graphical abstract: The reaction of water at a temperature in the 25-27 deg. C range with zinc metal gives rise to ZnO nanorods; with Al metal water gives Al(OH) 3 nanorods

Sulfur and Nitrogen co-doped graphene quantum dot decorated ZnO nanorod/polymer hybrid flexible device for photosensing applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hmar, Jehova Jire L.; Majumder, Tanmoy; Dhar, Saurab; Mondal, Suvra Prakash, E-mail: suvraphy@gmail.com

2016-08-01

S and N co-doped graphene quantum dots (S,N-GQDs) have been synthesized by a hydrothermal process. S,N-GQDs are made up of 1–5 monolayer of graphene with average diameter 13.3 nm. The absorption peaks at 336 and 621 nm, are attributed to n → Π{sup ⁎} transitions of electrons in C=O and S=O bonds, respectively. S,N-GQDs are highly luminescent and showed excitation dependent emission behaviors. Hybrid photosensing device has been fabricated with S,N-GQD sensitized ZnO nanorods and a conjugated polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). S,N-GQD decorated ZnO nanorod demonstrated higher photoresponse compared to pristine ZnO nanorod based device. S,N-GQD/ZnO nanorod hybrid device showed superior incident photon to electron conversion efficiency (IPCE), photoresponsivity and detectivity compared to the control samples. The flexibility study of the samples has been monitored by measuring current-voltage characteristics at different bending angles. - Highlights: • S and N co-doped graphene quantum dots (S,N-GQDs) were synthesized. • ZnO nanorods were grown on ITO coated flexible PET substrates. • S,N-GQDs were attached with ZnO nanorods and used as a green sensitizer. • Photosensing properties of S,N-GQD/ZnO and P3HT polymer hybrid device was studied.

A simple route to vertical array of quasi-1D ZnO nanofilms on FTO surfaces: 1D-crystal growth of nanoseeds under ammonia-assisted hydrolysis process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abd Rahman Mohd Yusri

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract A simple method for the synthesis of ZnO nanofilms composed of vertical array of quasi-1D ZnO nanostructures (quasi-NRs on the surface was demonstrated via a 1D crystal growth of the attached nanoseeds under a rapid hydrolysis process of zinc salts in the presence of ammonia at room temperature. In a typical procedure, by simply controlling the concentration of zinc acetate and ammonia in the reaction, a high density of vertically oriented nanorod-like morphology could be successfully obtained in a relatively short growth period (approximately 4 to 5 min and at a room-temperature process. The average diameter and the length of the nanostructures are approximately 30 and 110 nm, respectively. The as-prepared quasi-NRs products were pure ZnO phase in nature without the presence of any zinc complexes as confirmed by the XRD characterisation. Room-temperature optical absorption spectroscopy exhibits the presence of two separate excitonic characters inferring that the as-prepared ZnO quasi-NRs are high-crystallinity properties in nature. The mechanism of growth for the ZnO quasi-NRs will be proposed. Due to their simplicity, the method should become a potential alternative for a rapid and cost-effective preparation of high-quality ZnO quasi-NRs nanofilms for use in photovoltaic or photocatalytics applications. PACS: 81.07.Bc; 81.16.-c; 81.07.Gf.

Electrical properties of ZnO nanorods and layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schlenker, Eva; Bakin, Andrey; Peters, Ole; Mofor, Augustine C.; Postels, Bianca; El-Shaer, Hamid; Wehmann, Hergo-Heinrich; Waag, Andreas [Institut fuer Halbleitertechnik, TU Braunschweig (Germany); Weimann, Thomas; Hinze, Peter [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig (Germany)

2007-07-01

ZnO has attracted a lot of interest in the scientific community due to its outstanding properties. With a band gap of 3.37 eV and an exciton binding energy of 60 meV it is a promising candidate for micro- and optoelectronic applications. The growth of ZnO nanostructures and epitaxial layers is well under control and their optical and structural properties are already thoroughly characterized. However, due to contacting difficulties, less reports exist on the electrical properties of single ZnO nanostructures. In this contribution we present various contacting methods in order to explore the electrical properties of individual nanorods either grown by aqueous chemical growth or vapor phase transport. Current-Voltage characteristics were obtained by using an atomic force microscope with a conductive tip or by patterning contacts with e-beam lithography. The results are compared to the ones obtained from measurements on epitaxially grown ZnO layers and first applications are presented.

Fabrication of ZnO nanorod using spray-pyrolysis and chemical bath deposition method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramadhani, Muhammad F., E-mail: brian@tf.itb.ac.id; Pasaribu, Maruli A. H., E-mail: brian@tf.itb.ac.id; Yuliarto, Brian, E-mail: brian@tf.itb.ac.id; Nugraha, E-mail: brian@tf.itb.ac.id [Advanced Functional Materials Laboratory, Engineering Physics Department Faculty of Industrial Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung (Indonesia)

2014-02-24

ZnO thin films with nanorod structure were deposited using Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis method for seed growth, and Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD) for nanorod growth. High purity Zn-hydrate and Urea are used to control Ph were dissolved in ethanol and aqua bidest in Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis process. Glass substrate was placed above the heater plate of reaction chamber, and subsequently sprayed with the range duration of 5, 10 and 20 minutes at the temperatures of 3500 C. As for the Chemical Bath Deposition, the glass substrate with ZnO seed on the surface was immerse to Zn-hydrate, HMTA (Hexa Methylene Tetra Amine) and deionized water solution for duration of 3, 5 and 7 hour and temperatures of 600 C, washed in distilled water, dried, and annealed at 3500 C for an hour. The characterization of samples was carried out to reveal the surface morphology using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). From the data, the combination of 5 minutes of Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis process and 3 hour of CBD has showed the best structure of nanorod. Meanwhile the longer Spraying process and CBD yield the bigger nanorod structure that have been made, and it makes the films more dense which make the nanorod collide each other and as a result produce unsymetric nanorod structure.

Efficient visible light photocatalysis of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) in aqueous solutions using supported zinc oxide nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Bora, Tanujjal; Al-Abri, Mohammed; Dutta, Joydeep

2017-01-01

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) are some of the common environmental pollutants originating mainly from oil and gas industries, which are toxic to human as well as other living organisms in the ecosystem. Here we investigate photocatalytic degradation of BTEX under visible light irradiation using supported zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown on glass substrates using a microwave assisted hydrothermal method. ZnO nanorods were characterized by electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), specific surface area, UV/visible absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Visible light photocatalytic degradation products of BTEX are studied for individual components using gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS). ZnO nanorods with significant amount of electronic defect states, due to the fast crystallization of the nanorods under microwave irradiation, exhibited efficient degradation of BTEX under visible light, degrading more than 80% of the individual BTEX components in 180 minutes. Effect of initial concentration of BTEX as individual components is also probed and the photocatalytic activity of the ZnO nanorods in different conditions is explored. Formation of intermediate byproducts such as phenol, benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde and benzoic acid were confirmed by our HPLC analysis which could be due to the photocatalytic degradation of BTEX. Carbon dioxide was evaluated and showed an increasing pattern over time indicating the mineralization process confirming the conversion of toxic organic compounds into benign products. PMID:29261711

Effect of TiO{sub 2} thickness on nanocomposited aligned ZnO nanorod/TiO{sub 2} for dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saurdi, I., E-mail: saurdy788@gmail.com; Ishak, A. [NANO-ElecTronic Centre (NET), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM),40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); UiTM Sarawak Kampus Kota Samarahan Jalan Meranek, Sarawak (Malaysia); Shafura, A. K.; Azhar, N. E. A.; Mamat, M. H. [NANO-ElecTronic Centre (NET), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM),40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); Malek, M. F.; Rusop, M. [NANO-ElecTronic Centre (NET), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM),40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); NANO-SciTech Centre (NST), (Centre for Nano-Science and Nano-Technology), Institute of Science - IOS, Universiti Teknologi MARA - UiTM, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); Alrokayan, A. H. Salman; Khan, Haseeb A. [Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, Bldg. 5, King Saud University (KSU) P.O: 2455 Riyadh 1145 (Saudi Arabia)

2016-07-06

The TiO{sub 2} films were deposited on glass substrate at different thicknesses with different deposition frequencies (1, 2, 3 and 4 times) using spin coating technique and their structural properties were investigated. Subsequently, the nanocomposited aligned ZnO nanorods and TiO{sub 2} were formed by deposited the TiO{sub 2} on top of aligned ZnO Nanorod on ITO-coated glass at different thicknesses using the same method of TiO{sub 2} deposited on glass substrate. The nanocomposited aligned ZnO nanorod/TiO{sub 2} were coated with different thicknesses of 900µm, 1815µm, 2710µm, 3620µm and ZnO without TiO{sub 2}. The dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated from the nanocomposited aligned ZnO nanorod/TiO{sub 2} with thickness of 900µm, 1815µm, 2710µm and 3620µm and ZnO without TiO{sub 2} and their photovoltaic properties of the DSSCs were investigated. From the solar simulator measurement the solar energy conversion efficiency (η) of 2.543% under AM 1.5 was obtained for the ZnO nanorod/TiO{sub 2} photoanode-2710µm Dye-Sensitized solar cell.

Low-temperature growth of aligned ZnO nanorods: effect of annealing gases on the structural and optical properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Umar, Ahmad; Hahn, Yoon-Bong; Al-Hajry, A; Abaker, M

2014-06-01

Aligned ZnO nanorods were grown on ZnO/Si substrate via simple aqueous solution process at low-temperature of - 65 degrees C by using zinc nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA). The detailed morphological and structural properties measured by FESEM, XRD, EDS and TEM confirmed that the as-grown nanorods are vertically aligned, well-crystalline possessing wurtzite hexagonal phase and grown along the [0001] direction. The room-temperature photoluminescence spectrum of the grown nanorods exhibited a strong and broad green emission and small ultraviolet emission. The as-prepared ZnO nanorods were post-annealed in nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) environments and further characterized in terms of their morphological, structural and optical properties. After annealing the nanorods exhibit well-crystallinity and wurtzite hexagonal phase. Moreover, by annealing the PL spectra show the enhancement in the UV emission and suppression in the green emission. The presented results demonstrate that simply by post-annealing process, the optical properties of ZnO nanostructures can be controlled.

Properties of ZnO Nano rods Arrays Growth via Low Temperature Hydrothermal Reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nur Syafinaz Ridhuan; Zainovia Lockman; Azlan Abdul Aziz; Azlan Abdul Aziz; Khairunisak Abdul Razak; Khairunisak Abdul Razak

2011-01-01

This work describes properties of 1- D ZnO nano rods (NRs) arrays growth using low temperature hydrothermal method on seeded substrate. The properties of ZnO seed were studied by varying annealed temperature from 250-450 degree Celsius. The optimum oxidation temperature to produce seeded ZnO template was 400 degree Celsius. The formations of ZnO NRs were further studied by varying hydrothermal reaction growth time from 1 to 24 hours. I-V characteristic of ZnO NRs photodetector in dark, ambient light and UV light were also studied. The change in the photoconductivity under UV illumination was found to be 1 order higher in magnitude compared to dark current and ambient light. With an incident wavelength of 370 nm and applied bias of 3V, the responsivity of photodetector was 5.0 mA/ W, which was higher compared to other reported works. The increase of photosensitivity indicated that the produced ZnO NRs were suitable for UV photodetector applications.(author)

Preparation and characterization of electrodeposited ZnO and ZnO:Co nanorod films for heterojunction diode applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caglar, Yasemin, E-mail: yasemincaglar@anadolu.edu.tr [Anadolu University, Science Faculty, Physics Department, Eskisehir (Turkey); Arslan, Andaç [Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Art and Science Faculty, Chemistry Department, Eskisehir (Turkey); Ilican, Saliha [Anadolu University, Science Faculty, Physics Department, Eskisehir (Turkey); Hür, Evrim [Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Art and Science Faculty, Chemistry Department, Eskisehir (Turkey); Aksoy, Seval; Caglar, Mujdat [Anadolu University, Science Faculty, Physics Department, Eskisehir (Turkey)

2013-10-15

Highlights: •Undoped and Co-doped ZnO films were deposited on p-Si by electrodeposition method. •The effects of Co doping on some properties of ZnO films were investigated. •ZnO morphology was converted uniform multi-oriented rods with incorporation of Co. •Co-doped ZnO nanorod films showed a multi-oriented spear-like structure. -- Abstract: Well-aligned undoped and Co-doped nanorod ZnO films were grown by electrochemical deposition onto p-Si substrates from an aqueous route. Aqueous solution of Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}⋅6H{sub 2}O and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) were prepared using triple distilled water. Two different atomic ratios of Co(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}⋅6H{sub 2}O were used as a dopant element. Electrodepositions were carried out in a conventional three electrode cell for the working electrode (p-Si), reference electrode (Ag/AgCl, sat.) and counter electrode (platin wire). The effects of Co doping on the structural, morphological and electrical properties of ZnO films were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement showed that the undoped ZnO nanorod film was crystallized in the hexagonal wurtzite phase and presented a preferential orientation along the c-axis. Only one peak, corresponding to the (0 0 2) phase, appeared on the diffractograms. The lattice parameters and texture coefficient values were calculated. The nanorods were confirmed by the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) measurements. The FE-SEM image showed that the ZnO nanorods grow uniformly on the substrates, providing a surface with fairly homogeneous roughness. The surface morphology was transformed into uniform multi-oriented rods with incorporation of Co. Co-doped ZnO nanorod films showed a multi-oriented spear-like structure. The diffuse reflectance spectra of the films were measured and the optical band gap values were determined using Kubelka–Munk theory. The van der Pauw method was used to measure the sheet resistance of the films. The sheet resistance

Calculation of DSSC parameters based on ZnO nanorod/TiO2 mesoporous photoanode

Science.gov (United States)

Safriani, L.; Nurrida, A.; Mulyana, C.; Susilawati, T.; Bahtiar, A.; Aprilia, A.

2017-07-01

Photoanode of dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) plays an important role as electron transport media to accept photogenerated electron from excited state of dye. There are several physical properties that are required from photoanode of DSSC. It should be highly transparent, have large surface area, has a conduction band lower than LUMO of dye molecule, has high charge carrier mobility and finally has a good stability in redox electrolyte process. In this work, DSSC with structure FTO/ZnO nanorod/TiO2 mesoporous/Ru-dye/gel electrolyte/ Pt/FTO has been fabricated. In order to modified the structures of photoanode, ZnO nanorod was grown on aluminium doped ZnO seed layer by variation concentration of Al (0 wt%, 0.5 wt% and 1.0 wt%). Zinc nitrate hexahydrate and hexamethylenetetramine used as raw materials for ZnO nanorod growth solution and deposited by self-assembly methods on FTO/Al doped ZnO seed layer. It is then followed by deposition of titania (TiO2) paste by screen printing methods. DSSC parameters i.e. ideally factor (n), series resistance (RS ), and shunt resistance (RSH ) was derived from current density-voltage (I-V) curve using the simplify equation of ideal diode model. The influences of ZnO photoanode structures to the solar cell performance will be completely discussed.

Fast light-induced reversible wettability of a zinc oxide nanorod array coated with a thin gold layer

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Yuefan; Du, Hejun; Kong, Junhua; Tran, Van-Thai; Koh, Jia Kai; Zhao, Chenyang; He, Chaobin

2017-11-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has gained much attention recently due to its excellent physical and chemical properties, and has been extensively studied in energy harvesting applications such as photovoltaic and piezoelectric devices. In recent years, its reversible wettability has also attracted increasing interest. The wettability of ZnO nanostructures with various morphologies has been studied. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is still a lack of investigations on further modifications on ZnO to provide more benefits than pristine ZnO. Comprehensive studies on the reversible wettability are still needed. In this study, a ZnO nanorod array was prepared via a hydrothermal process and subsequently coated with thin gold layers with varied thickness. The morphologies and structures, optical properties and wettability were investigated. It is revealed that the ZnO-Au system possesses recoverable wettability upon switching between visible-ultraviolet light and a dark environment, which is verified by the contact angle change. The introduction of the thin gold layer to the ZnO nanorod array effectively increases the recovery rate of the wettability. The improvements are attributed to the hierarchical structures, which are formed by depositing thin gold layers onto the ZnO nanorod array, the visible light sensitivity due to the plasmonic effect of the deposited gold, as well as the fast charge-induced surface status change upon light illumination or dark storage. The improvement is beneficial to applications in environmental purification, energy harvesting, micro-lenses, and smart devices.

p-p Heterojunction of Nickel Oxide-Decorated Cobalt Oxide Nanorods for Enhanced Sensitivity and Selectivity toward Volatile Organic Compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Suh, Jun Min; Sohn, Woonbae; Shim, Young-Seok; Choi, Jang-Sik; Song, Young Geun; Kim, Taemin L; Jeon, Jong-Myeong; Kwon, Ki Chang; Choi, Kyung Soon; Kang, Chong-Yun; Byun, Hyung-Gi; Jang, Ho Won

2018-01-10

The utilization of p-p isotype heterojunctions is an effective strategy to enhance the gas sensing properties of metal-oxide semiconductors, but most previous studies focused on p-n heterojunctions owing to their simple mechanism of formation of depletion layers. However, a proper choice of isotype semiconductors with appropriate energy bands can also contribute to the enhancement of the gas sensing performance. Herein, we report nickel oxide (NiO)-decorated cobalt oxide (Co 3 O 4 ) nanorods (NRs) fabricated using the multiple-step glancing angle deposition method. The effective decoration of NiO on the entire surface of Co 3 O 4 NRs enabled the formation of numerous p-p heterojunctions, and they exhibited a 16.78 times higher gas response to 50 ppm of C 6 H 6 at 350 °C compared to that of bare Co 3 O 4 NRs with the calculated detection limit of approximately 13.91 ppb. Apart from the p-p heterojunctions, increased active sites owing to the changes in the orientation of the exposed lattice surface and the catalytic effects of NiO also contributed to the enhanced gas sensing properties. The advantages of p-p heterojunctions for gas sensing applications demonstrated in this work will provide a new perspective of heterostructured metal-oxide nanostructures for sensitive and selective gas sensing.

Preparation, optical properties of ZnO, ZnO:Al nanorods and Y(OH)3:Eu nanotube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran Kim Anh; Dinh Xuan Loc; Lam thi Kieu Giang; Le Quoc Minh; Strek, Wieslaw

2009-01-01

ZnO, ZnO:Al nanorods and Y(OH) 3 nanotubes have been prepared by the chemical vapor deposition and liquid phase synthesis. ZnO nanorods with diameter of 50 - 100 nm and length of 5 μm have been obtained by the CVD method. ZnO:Al nanorods were synthesized by the hydrothermal method from ZnSO 4. and Al 2 (SO 4 ) 3 . Nanorods and nanotubes of Y(OH) 3 with diameter of 200 nm and length of several micrometers were prepared by the soft template method. The crystal structure and morphology of rods and tubes were analyzed by the X-Ray diffraction and FE-SEM. The influence of fabrication conditions and Al, Eu concentration have been discussed.

Improve the open-circuit voltage of ZnO solar cells with inserting ZnS layers by two ways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Yunfei; Yang, Jinghai; Yang, Lili; Cao, Jian; Gao, Ming; Zhang, Zhiqiang; Wang, Zhe; Song, Hang

2013-01-01

ZnS NPs layers were deposited on ZnO NRs by two different ways. One is spin coating; the other is successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The ZnO NRs/ZnS NPs composites were verified by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV–visible spectrophotometer; their morphologies and thicknesses were examined by scanning electron microscopic and transmission electron microscopic images. The CdS quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) were constructed using ZnO NRs/ZnS NPs composites as photoanode and their photovoltaic characteristic was studied by J–V curves. The results indicated that the way of SILAR is more beneficial for retarding the back transfer of electrons to CdS and electrolyte than spin coating method. The open-circuit voltage increased to 0.59 V by introducing a ZnS layer through SILAR method. When ZnS NPs layer was deposited for 10 times on ZnO NRs, the conversion efficiency of QDSSC shows ∼3.3 folds increments of as-synthesized ZnO solar cell. - Graphical abstract: When ZnO nanorods were deposited by ZnS for 10 times, the conversion efficiency of QDSSC shows ∼3.3 folds increments of as-synthesized ZnO solar cell. Highlights: ► ZnS layers were deposited with two different ways. ► The way of SILAR is more beneficial for retarding the back transfer of electrons. ► The open-circuit voltage increased to 0.59 V by introducing a ZnS layer through SILAR method

Improve the open-circuit voltage of ZnO solar cells with inserting ZnS layers by two ways

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Yunfei [State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033 (China); Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Yang, Jinghai, E-mail: jhyang1@jlnu.edu.cn [Institute of Condensed State Physics, Jilin Normal University, Siping 136000 (China); Yang, Lili; Cao, Jian [Institute of Condensed State Physics, Jilin Normal University, Siping 136000 (China); Gao, Ming [State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033 (China); Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Institute of Condensed State Physics, Jilin Normal University, Siping 136000 (China); Zhang, Zhiqiang; Wang, Zhe [Institute of Condensed State Physics, Jilin Normal University, Siping 136000 (China); Song, Hang [State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033 (China)

2013-04-15

ZnS NPs layers were deposited on ZnO NRs by two different ways. One is spin coating; the other is successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The ZnO NRs/ZnS NPs composites were verified by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV–visible spectrophotometer; their morphologies and thicknesses were examined by scanning electron microscopic and transmission electron microscopic images. The CdS quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) were constructed using ZnO NRs/ZnS NPs composites as photoanode and their photovoltaic characteristic was studied by J–V curves. The results indicated that the way of SILAR is more beneficial for retarding the back transfer of electrons to CdS and electrolyte than spin coating method. The open-circuit voltage increased to 0.59 V by introducing a ZnS layer through SILAR method. When ZnS NPs layer was deposited for 10 times on ZnO NRs, the conversion efficiency of QDSSC shows ∼3.3 folds increments of as-synthesized ZnO solar cell. - Graphical abstract: When ZnO nanorods were deposited by ZnS for 10 times, the conversion efficiency of QDSSC shows ∼3.3 folds increments of as-synthesized ZnO solar cell. Highlights: ► ZnS layers were deposited with two different ways. ► The way of SILAR is more beneficial for retarding the back transfer of electrons. ► The open-circuit voltage increased to 0.59 V by introducing a ZnS layer through SILAR method.

Role of bonding mechanisms during transfer hydrogenation reaction on heterogeneous catalysts of platinum nanoparticles supported on zinc oxide nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Alawi, Reem A.; Laxman, Karthik; Dastgir, Sarim; Dutta, Joydeep

2016-07-01

For supported heterogeneous catalysis, the interface between a metal nanoparticle and the support plays an important role. In this work the dependency of the catalytic efficiency on the bonding chemistry of platinum nanoparticles supported on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods is studied. Platinum nanoparticles were deposited on ZnO nanorods (ZnO NR) using thermal and photochemical processes and the effects on the size, distribution, density and chemical state of the metal nanoparticles upon the catalytic activities are presented. The obtained results indicate that the bonding at Pt-ZnO interface depends on the deposition scheme which can be utilized to modulate the surface chemistry and thus the activity of the supported catalysts. Additionally, uniform distribution of metal on the catalyst support was observed to be more important than the loading density. It is also found that oxidized platinum Pt(IV) (platinum hydroxide) provided a more suitable surface for enhancing the transfer hydrogenation reaction of cyclohexanone with isopropanol compared to zero valent platinum. Photochemically synthesized ZnO supported nanocatalysts were efficient and potentially viable for upscaling to industrial applications.

Selective Thallium (I Ion Sensor Based on Functionalised ZnO Nanorods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. H. Ibupoto

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Well controlled in length and highly aligned ZnO nanorods were grown on the gold-coated glass substrate by hydrothermal growth method. ZnO nanorods were functionalised with selective thallium (I ion ionophore dibenzyldiaza-18-crown-6 (DBzDA18C6. The thallium ion sensor showed wide linear potentiometric response to thallium (I ion concentrations ( M to  M with high sensitivity of 36.87 ± 1.49 mV/decade. Moreover, thallium (I ion demonstrated fast response time of less than 5 s, high selectivity, reproducibility, storage stability, and negligible response to common interferents. The proposed thallium (I ion-sensor electrode was also used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration, and it has shown good stoichiometric response for the determination of thallium (I ion.

Morphological transition of ZnO nanostructures influenced by magnesium doping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Premkumar, T.; Zhou, Y.S.; Gao, Y.; Baskar, K.; Jiang, L.; Lu, Y.F.

2012-01-01

Wurtzite zinc oxide (ZnO) nanochains have been synthesized through high-pressure pulsed laser deposition. The chain-like ZnO nanostructures were obtained from magnesium (Mg) doped ZnO targets, whereas vertically aligned nanorods were obtained from primitive ZnO targets. The Mg doping has influenced the morphological transition of ZnO nanostructures from nanorods to nanochains. The field emission scanning electron microscope images revealed the growth of beaded ZnO nanochains. The ZnO nanochains of different diameters 40 and 120 nm were obtained. The corresponding micro-Raman spectra showed strong E 2H mode of ZnO, which confirmed the good crystallinity of the nanochains. In addition to near band edge emission at 3.28 eV, ZnO nanochains show broad deep level emission at 2.42 eV than that of ZnO nanorods.

Synthesis of Fe-Doped ZnO Nanorods by Rapid Mixing Hydrothermal Method and Its Application for High Performance UV Photodetector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chan Oeurn Chey

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We have successfully synthesized Fe-doped ZnO nanorods by a new and simple method in which the adopted approach is by using ammonia as a continuous source of OH- for hydrolysis instead of hexamethylenetetramine (HMT. The energy dispersive X-ray (EDX spectra revealed that the Fe peaks were presented in the grown Fe-doped ZnO nanorods samples and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS results suggested that Fe3+ is incorporated into the ZnO lattice. Structural characterization indicated that the Fe-doped ZnO nanorods grow along the c-axis with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and have single crystalline nature without any secondary phases or clusters of FeO or Fe3O4 observed in the samples. The Fe-doped ZnO nanorods showed room temperature (300 K ferromagnetic magnetization versus field (M-H hysteresis and the magnetization increases from 2.5 μemu to 9.1 μemu for Zn0.99Fe0.01O and Zn0.95Fe0.05O, respectively. Moreover, the fabricated Au/Fe-doped ZnO Schottky diode based UV photodetector achieved 2.33 A/W of responsivity and 5 s of time response. Compared to other Au/ZnO nanorods Schottky devices, the presented responsivity is an improvement by a factor of 3.9.

Hydrothermal growth and characterization of vertically well-aligned and dense ZnO nanorods on glass and silicon using a simple optimizer system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohammad, Sabah M., E-mail: Sabahaskari14@gmail.com; Ahmed, Naser M.; Abd-Alghafour, Nabeel M. [Institute of Nano-Optoelectronics Research and Technology Laboratory (INOR), School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800 (Malaysia); Hassan, Z., E-mail: zai@usm.my [Institute of Nano-Optoelectronics Research and Technology Laboratory (INOR), School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800 (Malaysia); CRI Natural Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800 (Malaysia); Talib, Rawnaq A. [Institute of Nano-Optoelectronics Research and Technology Laboratory (INOR), School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800 (Malaysia); Polymer Research Center, University of Basra (Iraq); Omar, A. F. [School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800 (Malaysia)

2016-07-06

Vertically, well-aligned and high density ZnO nanorods were successfully hydrothermally grown on glass and silicon substrates using a simple and low cost system. The mechanism of synthesis of ZnO nanorods, generated with our system under hydrothermal conditions, is investigated in this report. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy indicated that the fabricated ZnO nanorods on both substrates have hexagonal shape with diameters ranging from 20 nm to 70 nm which grew vertically from the substrate. XRD analysis confirms the formation of wurtzite ZnO phase with a preferred orientation along (002) direction perpendicular on the substrate and enhanced crystallinity. The low value of the tensile strain (0.126 %) revealed that ZnO nanorods preferred to grow along the c-axis for both substrates. Photoluminescence spectra exhibited a strong, sharp UV near band edge emission peak with narrow FWHM values for both samples.

Hydrothermal growth and characterization of vertically well-aligned and dense ZnO nanorods on glass and silicon using a simple optimizer system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammad, Sabah M.; Ahmed, Naser M.; Abd-Alghafour, Nabeel M.; Hassan, Z.; Talib, Rawnaq A.; Omar, A. F.

2016-01-01

Vertically, well-aligned and high density ZnO nanorods were successfully hydrothermally grown on glass and silicon substrates using a simple and low cost system. The mechanism of synthesis of ZnO nanorods, generated with our system under hydrothermal conditions, is investigated in this report. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy indicated that the fabricated ZnO nanorods on both substrates have hexagonal shape with diameters ranging from 20 nm to 70 nm which grew vertically from the substrate. XRD analysis confirms the formation of wurtzite ZnO phase with a preferred orientation along (002) direction perpendicular on the substrate and enhanced crystallinity. The low value of the tensile strain (0.126 %) revealed that ZnO nanorods preferred to grow along the c-axis for both substrates. Photoluminescence spectra exhibited a strong, sharp UV near band edge emission peak with narrow FWHM values for both samples.

Single fiber UV detector based on hydrothermally synthesized ZnO nanorods for wearable computing devices

Science.gov (United States)

Eom, Tae Hoon; Han, Jeong In

2018-01-01

There has been increasing interest in zinc oxide (ZnO) based ultraviolet (UV) sensing devices over the last several decades owing to their diverse range of applications. ZnO has extraordinary properties, such as a wide band gap and high exciton binding energy, which make it a beneficial material for UV sensing device. Herein, we show a ZnO UV sensing device fabricated on a cylindrical Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) monofilament. The ZnO active layer was synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis and the Cu electrodes were deposited by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. Cu thin film was deposited uniformly on a single PET fiber by rotating it inside the sputtering chamber. Various characteristics were investigated by changing the concentration of the seed solution and the growth solution. The growth of ZnO nanorods was confirmed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) to see the surface state and structure, followed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Also, current-voltage (I-V) curves were obtained to measure photocurrent and conductance. Furthermore, falling response time, rising response time, and responsivity were calculated by analyzing current-time (I-t) curves.

Homogeneous vertical ZnO nanorod arrays with high conductivity on an in situ Gd nanolayer

KAUST Repository

Flemban, Tahani H.; Singaravelu, Venkatesh; Devi, Assa Aravindh Sasikala; Roqan, Iman S.

2015-01-01

We demonstrate a novel, one-step, catalyst-free method for the production of size-controlled vertical highly conductive ZnO nanorod (NR) arrays with highly desirable characteristics by pulsed laser deposition using a Gd-doped ZnO target. Our study

Preparation, optical properties of ZnO, ZnO:Al nanorods and Y(OH){sub 3}:Eu nanotube

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tran Kim Anh; Dinh Xuan Loc; Lam thi Kieu Giang; Le Quoc Minh [Institute of Materials Science, Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Strek, Wieslaw [Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research, PAN, 2 Okolna, Wroclaw (Poland)], E-mail: kimanh1949@gmail.com

2009-01-01

ZnO, ZnO:Al nanorods and Y(OH){sub 3} nanotubes have been prepared by the chemical vapor deposition and liquid phase synthesis. ZnO nanorods with diameter of 50 - 100 nm and length of 5 {mu}m have been obtained by the CVD method. ZnO:Al nanorods were synthesized by the hydrothermal method from ZnSO{sub 4.} and Al{sub 2}(SO{sub 4}){sub 3}. Nanorods and nanotubes of Y(OH){sub 3} with diameter of 200 nm and length of several micrometers were prepared by the soft template method. The crystal structure and morphology of rods and tubes were analyzed by the X-Ray diffraction and FE-SEM. The influence of fabrication conditions and Al, Eu concentration have been discussed.

Microstructural, chemical and textural characterization of ZnO nanorods synthesized by aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition