Comparison on electrically pumped random laser actions of hydrothermal and sputtered ZnO films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Canxing; Jiang, Haotian; Li, Yunpeng; Ma, Xiangyang; Yang, Deren

2013-01-01

Random lasing (RL) in polycrystalline ZnO films is an intriguing research subject. Here, we have comparatively investigated electrically pumped RL behaviors of two metal-insulator-semiconductor structured devices using the hydrothermal and sputtered ZnO films as the semiconductor components, i.e., the light-emitting layers, respectively. It is demonstrated that the device using the hydrothermal ZnO film exhibits smaller threshold current and larger output optical power of the electrically pumped RL. The morphological characterization shows that the hydrothermal ZnO film is somewhat porous and is much rougher than the sputtered one, suggesting that in the former stronger multiple light scattering can occur. Moreover, the photoluminescence characterization indicates that there are fewer defects in the hydrothermal ZnO film than in the sputtered one, which means that the photons can pick up larger optical gain through stimulated emission in the hydrothermal ZnO film. Therefore, it is believed that the stronger multiple light scattering and larger optical gain contribute to the improved performance of the electrically pumped RL from the device using the hydrothermal ZnO film

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

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.

Starch assisted growth of dumbbell-shaped ZnO microstructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baranwal, V., E-mail: vikasphy@gmail.com [Nanotechnology Application Centre, University of Allahabad, Allahabad 21002 (India); Zahra, Abeer [Department of Physics, Integral University, Lucknow 226026 (India); Singh, Prashant K.; Pandey, Avinash C. [Nanotechnology Application Centre, University of Allahabad, Allahabad 21002 (India)

2015-10-15

We present an experimental study on evolution of dumbbell-shaped ZnO microstructures. Structure, shape, size and optical properties were monitored by means of scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence spectroscopy, respectively. Our results show that a crystalline phase of ZnO is formed. A uniform distribution of randomly oriented dumbbell-shaped ZnO microstructures is observed. Near band edge as well as deep level visible emissions confirmed that there are intrinsic defects present in the system. Emissions extending from UV region to visible region show that these microstructures are good quality optical material which can be used in photocatalytic field. - Highlights: • Dumbbell-shaped ZnO micro-rods were synthesized by starch assisted hydrothermal process. • Micro-rods were of crystalline nature, confirmed by x-ray diffraction. • UV-emission as well as deep level visible emissions were observed. • Broad absorption band is observed which can be utilized in photocatalytic field.

Effective electron collection in highly (110)-oriented ZnO porous nanosheet framework photoanode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xiangyan; Tian Zhipeng; Yu Tao; Tian Hanmin; Zhang Jiyuan; Yuan Shikui; Zhang Xiaobo; Li Zhaosheng; Zou Zhigang

2010-01-01

A highly (110)-oriented ZnO porous nanosheet framework is designed as the photoanode in photoelectrochemical systems, by virtue of its anisotropic electronic properties. It can be facilely prepared in large scale via a hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses show that the orientation index of the (110) diffraction plane is 3.54, indicating the films possess (110) preferred orientation. Field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) images exhibit that most of the nanosheets stand nearly perpendicularly on the substrate. The {002} lattice planes work just like conducting wires and induce the electrons to transport to the substrate. Chronoamperometry measurement demonstrates an effective electron collection. When the nanostructured photoanode is introduced to dye-sensitized solar cells, a conversion efficiency of 3.7% is obtained. The photoanode also has potential application in the other photoelectrochemical systems, such as photocatalytical splitting of water.

Enhanced Piezoelectric Behavior of PVDF Nanocomposite by AC Dielectrophoresis Alignment of ZnO Nanowires

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyungwho Choi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In contrast to commercial piezoelectric ceramics, lead-free materials such as ZnO and a polymer matrix are proper candidates for use in ecofriendly applications. In this article, the authors represent a technique using ZnO nanowires with a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF matrix in a piezoelectric polymer composite. By aligning the nanowires in the matrix in a desired direction by AC dielectrophoresis, the piezoelectric behavior was enhanced. The dielectric constant of the composite was improved by increasing the concentration of the ZnO nanowires as well. Specifically, the resulting dielectric constant shows an improvement of 400% with aligned ZnO nanowires by increasing the poling effect compared to that of a randomly oriented nanowire composite without a poling process.

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

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.

Defect free C-axis oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) films grown at room temperature using RF magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunj, Saurabh; Sreenivas, K.

2016-01-01

Radio frequency Magnetron sputtering technique was employed to fabricate ZnO thin films on quartz substrate at room temperature. The effect of varying oxygen to argon (O_2/Ar) gas ratio on the structural and photoluminescence properties of the film is analyzed.X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra reveals the formation of hexagonal wurtzite structured ZnO thin films with preferred orientation along (002) plane. Photoluminescence (PL) characterization reveals the preparation of highly crystalline films exhibiting intense Ultraviolet (UV) emission with negligible amount of defects as indicated by the absence of Deep Level Emission (DLE) in the PL spectra.

Defect free C-axis oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) films grown at room temperature using RF magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Kunj, Saurabh; Sreenivas, K.

2016-05-01

Radio frequency Magnetron sputtering technique was employed to fabricate ZnO thin films on quartz substrate at room temperature. The effect of varying oxygen to argon (O2/Ar) gas ratio on the structural and photoluminescence properties of the film is analyzed.X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra reveals the formation of hexagonal wurtzite structured ZnO thin films with preferred orientation along (002) plane. Photoluminescence (PL) characterization reveals the preparation of highly crystalline films exhibiting intense Ultraviolet (UV) emission with negligible amount of defects as indicated by the absence of Deep Level Emission (DLE) in the PL spectra.

Defect free C-axis oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) films grown at room temperature using RF magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kunj, Saurabh, E-mail: saurabhkunj22@gmail.com; Sreenivas, K. [Department of Physics & Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 (India)

2016-05-23

Radio frequency Magnetron sputtering technique was employed to fabricate ZnO thin films on quartz substrate at room temperature. The effect of varying oxygen to argon (O{sub 2}/Ar) gas ratio on the structural and photoluminescence properties of the film is analyzed.X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra reveals the formation of hexagonal wurtzite structured ZnO thin films with preferred orientation along (002) plane. Photoluminescence (PL) characterization reveals the preparation of highly crystalline films exhibiting intense Ultraviolet (UV) emission with negligible amount of defects as indicated by the absence of Deep Level Emission (DLE) in the PL spectra.

Sonicated sol–gel preparation of nanoparticulate ZnO thin films with various deposition speeds: The highly preferred c-axis (0 0 2) orientation enhances the final properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malek, M.F.; Mamat, M.H.; Khusaimi, Z.; Sahdan, M.Z.; Musa, M.Z.; Zainun, A.R.; Suriani, A.B.; Md Sin, N.D.; Abd Hamid, S.B.; Rusop, M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Minimum stress of highly c-axis oriented ZnO was grown at suitable deposition speed. • The ZnO crystal orientation was influenced by strain/stress of the film. • Minimum stress/strain of ZnO film leads to lower defects. • Bandgap and defects were closely intertwined with strain/stress. • We report additional optical and electrical properties based on deposition speed. -- Abstract: Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films have been deposited onto glass substrates at various deposition speeds by a sonicated sol–gel dip-coating technique. This work studies the effects of deposition speed on the crystallisation behaviour and optical and electrical properties of the resulting films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that thin films were preferentially oriented along the (0 0 2) c-axis direction of the crystal. The transformation sequence of strain and stress effects in ZnO thin films has also been studied. The films deposited at a low deposition speed exhibited a large compressive stress of 0.78 GPa, which decreased to 0.43 GPa as the deposition speed increased to 40 mm/min. Interestingly, the enhancement in the crystallinity of these films led to a significant reduction in compressive stress. All films exhibited an average transmittance of greater than 90% in the visible region, with absorption edges at ∼380 nm. The photoluminescence (PL) measurements indicated that the intensity of the emission peaks varied significantly with deposition speed. The optical band gap energy (E g ) was evaluated as 3.276–3.289 eV, which increased with decreasing compressive stress along the c-axis. The energy band gap of the resulting ZnO films was found to be strongly influenced by the preferred c-axis (0 0 2) orientation

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.)

ZnO film deposition on Al film and effects of deposition temperature on ZnO film growth characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Giwan; Yim, Munhyuk; Kim, Donghyun; Linh, Mai; Chai, Dongkyu

2004-01-01

The effects of the deposition temperature on the growth characteristics of the ZnO films were studied for film bulk acoustic wave resonator (FBAR) device applications. All films were deposited using a radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. It was found that the growth characteristics of ZnO films have a strong dependence on the deposition temperature from 25 to 350 deg. C. ZnO films deposited below 200 deg. C exhibited reasonably good columnar grain structures with highly preferred c-axis orientation while those above 200 deg. C showed very poor columnar grain structures with mixed-axis orientation. This study seems very useful for future FBAR device applications

Double threshold behavior in a resonance-controlled ZnO random laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryo Niyuki

2017-03-01

Full Text Available We observed unusual lasing characteristics, such as double thresholds and blue-shift of lasing peak, in a resonance-controlled ZnO random laser. From the analysis of lasing threshold carrier density, we found that the lasing at 1st and 2nd thresholds possibly arises from different mechanisms; the lasing at 1st threshold involves exciton recombination, whereas the lasing at 2nd threshold is caused by electron-hole plasma recombination, which is the typical origin of conventional random lasers. These phenomena are very similar to the transition from polariton lasing to photon lasing observed in a well-defined cavity laser.

Piezoelectric and optoelectronic properties of electrospinning hybrid PVDF and ZnO nanofibers

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Jian; Zhang, Qian; Lin, Kabin; Zhou, Lei; Ni, Zhonghua

2018-03-01

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a unique ferroelectric polymer with significant promise for energy harvesting, data storage, and sensing applications. ZnO is a wide direct band gap semiconductor (3.37 eV), commonly used as ultraviolet photodetectors, nanoelectronics, photonicsand piezoelectric generators. In this study, we produced high output piezoelectric energy harvesting materials using hybrid PVDF/ZnO nanofibers deposited via electrospinning. The strong electric fields and stretching forces during the electrospinning process helps to align dipoles in the nanofiber crystal such that the nonpolar α-phase (random orientation of dipoles) is transformed into polar β-phase in produced nanofibers. The effect of the additional ZnO nanowires on the nanofiber β-phase composition and output voltage are investigated. The maximum output voltage generated by a single hybrid PVDF and ZnO nanofiber (33 wt% ZnO nanowires) is over 300% of the voltage produced by a single nanofiber made of pure PVDF. The ZnO NWs served not only as a piezoelectric material, but also as a semiconducting material. The electrical conductivity of the hybrid PVDF/ZnO nanofibers increased by more than a factor of 4 when exposed under ultraviolet (UV) light.

ZnO Nanorods with Tunable Aspect Ratios Deriving from Oriented-attachment for Enhanced Performance in Quantum-dot Sensitized Solar Cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Dapeng; Wang, Xiaolu; Cao, Kun; An, Yipeng; Song, Xiaohui; Liu, Ning; Xu, Fang; Gao, Zhiyong; Jiang, Kai

2017-01-01

ZnO nanorods consisted of oriented aligned elongated-nanoparticles along the [0001] direction were readily prepared with tunable aspect ratios by a facile solvothermal method. An oriented-attachment growth mechanism was proposed based on time-dependent trails and first principle density function theory calculation. Control experiments indicated that the reaction medium played important roles to influence the oriented-attachment process and the aspect ratio could be tuned from ∼4.6 to ∼16.0 by simply altering the precursor dosages. The as-prepared ZnO nanorods were applied as photoanode materials in quantum-dot sensitized solar cells. The large pore size in the film structure and rough surface of the nanorod could enhance the quantum dots loading amounts and light scattering effect. In addition, the orderly aligned primary ENPs minimized the grain boundaries for suppressed recombination and provided a direct pathway for increased electron diffusion length. Meanwhile, the enhanced film hydrophilicity facilitated the electrolyte penetration and the regeneration of oxidized sensitizers. Therefore, a high power conversion efficiency of ∼4.83% was demonstrated, indicating substantial improvement compared with that of traditional nanoparticle based device (∼3.54%).

Impacts of Co doping on ZnO transparent switching memory device characteristics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simanjuntak, Firman Mangasa; Wei, Kung-Hwa [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan (China); Prasad, Om Kumar [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan (China); Panda, Debashis [Department of Electronics Engineering, National Institute of Science and Technology, Berhampur, Odisha 761008 (India); Lin, Chun-An; Tsai, Tsung-Ling; Tseng, Tseung-Yuen, E-mail: tseng@cc.nctu.edu.tw [Department of Electronics Engineering and Institute of Electronics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan (China)

2016-05-02

The resistive switching characteristics of indium tin oxide (ITO)/Zn{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}O/ITO transparent resistive memory devices were investigated. An appropriate amount of cobalt dopant in ZnO resistive layer demonstrated sufficient memory window and switching stability. In contrast, pure ZnO devices demonstrated a poor memory window, and using an excessive dopant concentration led to switching instability. To achieve suitable memory performance, relying only on controlling defect concentrations is insufficient; the grain growth orientation of the resistive layer must also be considered. Stable endurance with an ON/OFF ratio of more than one order of magnitude during 5000 cycles confirmed that the Co-doped ZnO device is a suitable candidate for resistive random access memory application. Additionally, fully transparent devices with a high transmittance of up to 90% at wavelength of 550 nm have been fabricated.

The role of Al, Ba, and Cd dopant elements in tailoring the properties of c-axis oriented ZnO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ali, Dilawar [Department of Physics GC University, Lahore 54000 (Pakistan); Center for Advanced Studies in Physics, GC University Lahore, Lahore 54000 (Pakistan); Butt, M.Z., E-mail: mzakriabutt@gmail.com [Center for Advanced Studies in Physics, GC University Lahore, Lahore 54000 (Pakistan); Arif, Bilal [Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Firat University, 23169 Elazig (Turkey); Al-Ghamdi, Ahmed A. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia); Yakuphanoglu, Fahrettin [Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Firat University, 23169 Elazig (Turkey); Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)

2017-02-01

Highly c-axis oriented un-doped ZnO and Al-, Ba-, and Cd-doped ZnO thin films were successfully deposited on glass substrate employing sol-gel spin coating method. XRD analysis showed that all thin films possess hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferred orientation along c-axis. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) was used to study the morphology of thin films. The morphology consists of spherical and non-spherical shape grains. EDX analysis confirms the presence of O, Zn, Al, Ba, and Cd in the relevant thin films. The optical properties of thin films were studied using UV–Vis spectrometer. All thin films possess more than 85% optical transmittance in the visible region. Blue shift in optical band gap E{sub g} has been observed on doping with Al, whereas doping with Ba and Cd resulted in red shift of E{sub g}. Urbach energy E{sub u} of all doped ZnO thin films was found to have excellent correlation with their band gap energy E{sub g}. Moreover, E{sub g} increases while E{sub u} decreases on the increase in crystallite size D. Optical parameters E{sub g} and E{sub u} as well as structural parameters lattice strain and stacking fault probability also show excellent correlation with the B-factor or the mean-square amplitude of atomic vibrations of the dopant elements. Electrical conductivity measurement of the thin films was carried out using two-point probe method. The electrical conductivity was found to increase with the increase in crystallite orientation along c-axis.

Random walks of oriented particles on fractals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haber, René; Prehl, Janett; Hoffmann, Karl Heinz; Herrmann, Heiko

2014-01-01

Random walks of point particles on fractals exhibit subdiffusive behavior, where the anomalous diffusion exponent is smaller than one, and the corresponding random walk dimension is larger than two. This is due to the limited space available in fractal structures. Here, we endow the particles with an orientation and analyze their dynamics on fractal structures. In particular, we focus on the dynamical consequences of the interactions between the local surrounding fractal structure and the particle orientation, which are modeled using an appropriate move class. These interactions can lead to particles becoming temporarily or permanently stuck in parts of the structure. A surprising finding is that the random walk dimension is not affected by the orientation while the diffusion constant shows a variety of interesting and surprising features. (paper)

Influence of seed layer treatment on ZnO growth morphology and their device performance in dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, R. Saravana [PG and Research, Department of Physics, Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore 641029 (India); Sudhagar, P. [Energy Materials Laboratary, WCU Program Department of Energy Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); Matheswaran, P. [PG and Research, Department of Physics, Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore 641029 (India); Sathyamoorthy, R., E-mail: rsathya59@gmail.com [PG and Research, Department of Physics, Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore 641029 (India); Kang, Yong Soo, E-mail: kangys@hanyang.ac.kr [Energy Materials Laboratary, WCU Program Department of Energy Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-09-15

The surface modification of the ZnO seed layer by ultrasonic mediated rinsing (UMR) was realized as an efficient tool for growing highly branched hierarchical ZnO nanorods through multistage approach. The hierarchical ZnO nanostructure achieved through UMR approach was performed as the photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The DSSC based on the novel branched network resulted in energy conversion efficiency ({eta}) of 1.1% (J{sub sc} = 4.7 mA cm{sup -2}). The improved device performance was ascribed to the (a) high internal surface area for efficient dye adsorption, (b) rapid electron pathway for charge transport from ZnO to transparent conducting oxide (TCO) substrate and (c) producing random multiple scattering of the light within the hierarchical network leading to photon localization, thereby increasing the probability of the interaction between the photons and the dye molecules of the branched network. The beneficial effect of the UMR approach was distinguished by fabricating DSSCs based on randomly oriented ZnO nanorods prepared by conventional rinsing (CR), which offered lower conversion efficiency {eta} = 0.7% (J{sub sc} = 3.8 mA cm{sup -2}). The exploration of novel hierarchical ZnO nanorods grown in the present work by the low temperature solution growth techniques may pave way to bring out photoanode material on flexible substrates for the fast growing DSSCs devices.

Structural characterization of ZnO thin films grown on various substrates by pulsed laser deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novotný, M; Bulíř, J; Lančok, J; Čížek, J; Kužel, R; Connolly, J; McCarthy, E; Krishnamurthy, S; Mosnier, J-P; Anwand, W; Brauer, G

2012-01-01

ZnO thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on three different substrates: sapphire (0 0 0 1), MgO (1 0 0) and fused silica (FS). The structure and morphology of the films were characterized by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy and defect studies were carried out using slow positron implantation spectroscopy (SPIS). Films deposited on all substrates studied in this work exhibit the wurtzite ZnO structure and are characterized by an average crystallite size of 20-100 nm. However, strong differences in the microstructure of films deposited on various substrates were found. The ZnO films deposited on MgO and sapphire single-crystalline substrates exhibit local epitaxy, i.e. a well-defined relation between film crystallites and the substrate. Domains with different orientation relationships with the substrate were found in both films. On the other hand, the film deposited on the FS substrate exhibits fibre texture with random lateral orientation of crystallites. Extremely high compressive in-plane stress of σ ∼ 14 GPa was determined in the film deposited on the MgO substrate, while the film deposited on sapphire is virtually stress-free, and the film deposited on the FS substrate exhibits a tensile in-plane stress of σ ∼ 0.9 GPa. SPIS investigations revealed that the concentration of open-volume defects in the ZnO films is substantially higher than that in a bulk ZnO single crystal. Moreover, the ZnO films deposited on MgO and sapphire single-crystalline substrates exhibit a significantly higher density of defects than the film deposited on the amorphous FS substrate. (paper)

Anodized ZnO nanostructures for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Mao-Chia [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan 32001, Taiwan (China); Wang, TsingHai [Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environment Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Wu, Bin-Jui [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan 32001, Taiwan (China); Lin, Jing-Chie, E-mail: jclin4046@gmail.com [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan 32001, Taiwan (China); Wu, Ching-Chen [Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 310, Taiwan (China)

2016-01-01

Highlights: • ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by electrochemical anodic process. • The parameter of ZnO nanostructure was anodic potential. • The model of growth of ZnO nanostructure was investigated. - Abstract: Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were fabricated on the polished zinc foil by anodic deposition in an alkaline solution containing 1.0 M NaOH and 0.25 M Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}. Potentiostatic anodization was conducted at two potentials (−0.7 V in the passive region and −1.0 V in the active region vs. SCE) which are higher than the open circuit potential (−1.03 V vs. SCE) and as-obtained ZnO nanostrcutures were investigated focusing on their structural, optical, electrical and photoelectrochemical (PEC) characteristics. All samples were confirmed ZnO by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectra. Observations in the SEM images clearly showed that ZnO nanostructures prepared at −0.7 V vs. SCE were composed of nanowires at while those obtained at −1.0 V vs. SCE possessed nanosheets morphology. Result from transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction patterns suggested that the ZnO nanowires belonged to single crystalline with a preferred orientation of (0 0 2) whereas the ZnO nanosheets were polycrystalline. Following PEC experiments indicated that ZnO nanowires had higher photocurrent density of 0.32 mA/cm{sup 2} at 0.5 V vs. SCE under 100 mW/cm{sup 2} illumination. This value was about 1.9 times higher than that of ZnO nanosheets. Observed higher photocurrent was likely due to the single crystalline, preferred (0 0 2) orientation, higher carrier concentration and lower charge transfer resistance.

Epitaxial properties of ZnO thin films on SrTiO3 substrates grown by laser molecular beam epitaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, X. H.; Li, Y. R.; Zhu, J.; Huang, W.; Zhang, Y.; Luo, W. B.; Ji, H.

2007-01-01

Epitaxial ZnO thin films with different orientations have been grown by laser molecular beam epitaxy on (001)- (011)-, and (111)-orientated SrTiO 3 single-crystal substrates. The growth behavior was in situ monitored by reflection high-energy electron diffraction, and the epitaxial orientation relations were reconfirmed by ex situ x-ray diffraction measurements. In the case of ZnO on SrTiO 3 (001), four orthogonal domains coexisted in the ZnO epilayer, i.e., ZnO(110) parallel SrTiO 3 (001) and ZnO[-111] parallel SrTiO 3 . For (011)- and (111)-orientated substrates, single-domain epitaxy with c axial orientation was observed, in which the in-plane relationship was ZnO[110] parallel SrTiO 3 [110] irrespective of the substrate orientations. Additionally, the crystalline quality of ZnO on SrTiO 3 (111) was better than that of ZnO on SrTiO 3 (011) because of the same symmetry between the (111) substrates and (001) films. The obtained results can be attributed to the difference of the in-plane crystallographic symmetry. Furthermore, those alignments can be explained by the interface stress between the substrates and the films

Al-doped ZnO seed layer-dependent crystallographic control of ZnO nanorods by using electrochemical deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Son, Hyo-Soo; Choi, Nak-Jung [Department of Nano-Optical Engineering, Korea Polytechnic University, Siheung 429-793 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Kyoung-Bo [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Inha Technical College, Incheon 402-752 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Moojin [Department of Renewable Energy, Jungwon University, Goesan-gun, Chungbuk 367-805 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sung-Nam, E-mail: snlee@kpu.ac.kr [Department of Nano-Optical Engineering, Korea Polytechnic University, Siheung 429-793 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

Highlights: • Polar and semipolar ZnO NRs were successfully achieved by hydrothermal synthesis. • Semipolar and polar ZnO NRs were grown on ZnO and AZO/m-sapphire, respectively. • Al % of AZO/m-sapphire enhanced the lateral growth rate of polar ZnO NRs. - Abstract: We investigated the effect of an Al-doped ZnO film on the crystallographic direction of ZnO nanorods (NRs) using electrochemical deposition. From high-solution X-ray diffraction measurements, the crystallographic plane of ZnO NRs grown on (1 0 0) ZnO/m-plane sapphire was (1 0 1). The surface grain size of the (100) Al-doped ZnO (AZO) film decreased with increasing Al content in the ZnO seed layer, implying that the Al dopant accelerated the three-dimensional (3D) growth of the AZO film. In addition, it was found that with increasing Al doping concentration of the AZO seed layer, the crystal orientation of the ZnO NRs grown on the AZO seed layer changed from [1 0 1] to [0 0 1]. With increasing Al content of the nonpolar (1 0 0) AZO seed layer, the small surface grains with a few crystallographic planes of the AZO film changed from semipolar (1 0 1) ZnO NRs to polar (0 0 1) ZnO NRs due to the increase of the vertical [0 0 1] growth rate of the ZnO NRs owing to excellent electrical properties.

Highly efficient hybrid energy generator: coupled organic photovoltaic device and randomly oriented electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanofiber.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Boongik; Lee, Kihwan; Park, Jongjin; Kim, Jongmin; Kim, Ohyun

2013-03-01

A hybrid architecture consisting of an inverted organic photovoltaic device and a randomly-oriented electrospun PVDF piezoelectric device was fabricated as a highly-efficient energy generator. It uses the inverted photovoltaic device with coupled electrospun PVDF nanofibers as tandem structure to convert solar and mechanical vibrations energy to electricity simultaneously or individually. The power conversion efficiency of the photovoltaic device was also significantly improved up to 4.72% by optimized processes such as intrinsic ZnO, MoO3 and active layer. A simple electrospinning method with the two electrode technique was adopted to achieve a high voltage of - 300 mV in PVDF piezoelectric fibers. Highly-efficient HEG using voltage adder circuit provides the conceptual possibility of realizing multi-functional energy generator whenever and wherever various energy sources are available.

Radio-frequency magnetron sputtering and wet thermal oxidation of ZnO thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, H. F.; Chua, S. J.; Hu, G. X.; Gong, H.; Xiang, N.

2007-01-01

The authors studied the growth and wet thermal oxidation (WTO) of ZnO thin films using a radio-frequency magnetron sputtering technique. X-ray diffraction reveals a preferred orientation of [1010]ZnO(0002)//[1120]Al 2 O 3 (0002) coexisted with a small amount of ZnO (1011) and ZnO (1013) crystals on the Al 2 O 3 (0001) substrate. The ZnO (1011) and ZnO (1013) crystals, as well as the in-plane preferred orientation, are absent from the growth of ZnO on the GaAs(001) substrate. WTO at 550 deg. C improves the crystalline and the photoluminescence more significantly than annealing in air, N 2 and O 2 ambient; it also tends to convert the crystal from ZnO (1011) and ZnO (1013) to ZnO (0002). The evolution of the photoluminescence upon WTO and annealing reveals that the green and orange emissions, centered at 520 and 650 nm, are likely originated from oxygen vacancies and oxygen interstitials, respectively; while the 420 nm emission, which is very sensitive to the postgrowth thermal processing regardless of the substrate and the ambient gas, is likely originated from the surface-state related defects

Machine Learning and Infrared Thermography for Fiber Orientation Assessment on Randomly-Oriented Strands Parts.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Henrique; Zhang, Hai; Figueiredo, Alisson; Malheiros, Fernando; Ignacio, Luis Henrique; Sfarra, Stefano; Ibarra-Castanedo, Clemente; Guimaraes, Gilmar; Maldague, Xavier

2018-01-19

The use of fiber reinforced materials such as randomly-oriented strands has grown in recent years, especially for manufacturing of aerospace composite structures. This growth is mainly due to their advantageous properties: they are lighter and more resistant to corrosion when compared to metals and are more easily shaped than continuous fiber composites. The resistance and stiffness of these materials are directly related to their fiber orientation. Thus, efficient approaches to assess their fiber orientation are in demand. In this paper, a non-destructive evaluation method is applied to assess the fiber orientation on laminates reinforced with randomly-oriented strands. More specifically, a method called pulsed thermal ellipsometry combined with an artificial neural network, a machine learning technique, is used in order to estimate the fiber orientation on the surface of inspected parts. Results showed that the method can be potentially used to inspect large areas with good accuracy and speed.

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.

Effect of precursor solutions on ZnO film via solution precursor plasma spray and corresponding gas sensing performances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Z.X.; Ma, Y.Z.; Zhao, Y.L.; Huang, J.B.; Wang, W.Z.; Moliere, M.; Liao, H.L.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • C-axis preferential oriented grown ZnO films were firstly deposited via SPPS with different solutions. • ZnO films were hydrophobic due to cauliflower and honeycomb-like surface morphologies with high surface specific area. • Gas detecting performance of (002) plane oriented ZnO was predicted and compared by “first principle calculation method”. - Abstract: Solution precursor plasma spraying (SPPS) as a novel thermal spray method was employed to deposit nano-structured ZnO thin film using different formulations of the precursor solution. This article focuses on the influence of the solution composition on the preferential orientation of crystal growth, on crystal size and surface morphology of the resulting ZnO films. The trend of preferential growth along (002) lattice plane of ZnO film was studied by slow scanning X-ray diffraction using a specific coefficient P_(_0_0_2_)_. It appears that the thermal spray process promotes the buildup of ZnO films preferentially oriented along the c-axis. The shape of single particle tends to change from round shaped beads to hexagonal plates by increasing the volume ratio of ethanol in the solvent. Both cauliflower and honeycomb-like surface morphologies featuring high specific surface area and roughness were obtained through the SPPS process by varying solution composition. These ZnO films are hydrophobic with contact angle as high as 136°, which is seemingly associated with micro reliefs developing high surface specific area. Then the gas sensing performances of ZnO films preferentially oriented along (002) face were tentatively predicted using the “first principle calculation method” and were compared with those of conventional films that are mainly oriented along the (101) face. The (002) face displays better hydrogen adsorption capability than the (101) face with much larger resulting changes in electrical resistance. In conclusion, the c-axis oriented ZnO films obtained through SSPS have

Effect of precursor solutions on ZnO film via solution precursor plasma spray and corresponding gas sensing performances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Z.X., E-mail: zexin.yu@utbm.fr [Univ Bourgogne Franche Comte, CNRS, Lab ICB, UMR 6303, Site UTBM, F-90010 Belfort (France); Ma, Y.Z., E-mail: yangzhou.ma@outlook.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan 243002 (China); Zhao, Y.L. [Univ Bourgogne Franche Comte, CNRS, Lab ICB, UMR 6303, Site UTBM, F-90010 Belfort (France); Huang, J.B.; Wang, W.Z. [Key Lab of Safety Science of Pressurized System, Ministry of Education, School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237 (China); Moliere, M.; Liao, H.L. [Univ Bourgogne Franche Comte, CNRS, Lab ICB, UMR 6303, Site UTBM, F-90010 Belfort (France)

2017-08-01

Highlights: • C-axis preferential oriented grown ZnO films were firstly deposited via SPPS with different solutions. • ZnO films were hydrophobic due to cauliflower and honeycomb-like surface morphologies with high surface specific area. • Gas detecting performance of (002) plane oriented ZnO was predicted and compared by “first principle calculation method”. - Abstract: Solution precursor plasma spraying (SPPS) as a novel thermal spray method was employed to deposit nano-structured ZnO thin film using different formulations of the precursor solution. This article focuses on the influence of the solution composition on the preferential orientation of crystal growth, on crystal size and surface morphology of the resulting ZnO films. The trend of preferential growth along (002) lattice plane of ZnO film was studied by slow scanning X-ray diffraction using a specific coefficient P{sub (002).} It appears that the thermal spray process promotes the buildup of ZnO films preferentially oriented along the c-axis. The shape of single particle tends to change from round shaped beads to hexagonal plates by increasing the volume ratio of ethanol in the solvent. Both cauliflower and honeycomb-like surface morphologies featuring high specific surface area and roughness were obtained through the SPPS process by varying solution composition. These ZnO films are hydrophobic with contact angle as high as 136°, which is seemingly associated with micro reliefs developing high surface specific area. Then the gas sensing performances of ZnO films preferentially oriented along (002) face were tentatively predicted using the “first principle calculation method” and were compared with those of conventional films that are mainly oriented along the (101) face. The (002) face displays better hydrogen adsorption capability than the (101) face with much larger resulting changes in electrical resistance. In conclusion, the c-axis oriented ZnO films obtained through SSPS have

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.

Machine Learning and Infrared Thermography for Fiber Orientation Assessment on Randomly-Oriented Strands Parts

Science.gov (United States)

Maldague, Xavier

2018-01-01

The use of fiber reinforced materials such as randomly-oriented strands has grown in recent years, especially for manufacturing of aerospace composite structures. This growth is mainly due to their advantageous properties: they are lighter and more resistant to corrosion when compared to metals and are more easily shaped than continuous fiber composites. The resistance and stiffness of these materials are directly related to their fiber orientation. Thus, efficient approaches to assess their fiber orientation are in demand. In this paper, a non-destructive evaluation method is applied to assess the fiber orientation on laminates reinforced with randomly-oriented strands. More specifically, a method called pulsed thermal ellipsometry combined with an artificial neural network, a machine learning technique, is used in order to estimate the fiber orientation on the surface of inspected parts. Results showed that the method can be potentially used to inspect large areas with good accuracy and speed. PMID:29351240

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.

Performance of Cr-doped ZnO for acetone sensing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Hardan, N.H., E-mail: naif_imen@ukm.my [Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Abdullah, M.J.; Aziz, A. Abdul [School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang (Malaysia)

2013-04-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) doped with chromium (Cr) was synthesized by reactive co-sputtering for gas sensing applications. The effect of varying the contents of Cr (from 1 to 4 at%) on the ZnO gas sensor response was studied. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals the high orientation of c-axis of the prepared films. The optimum operating temperature of the undoped ZnO was 400 °C and shifted to 300 °C for the Cr-doped ZnO under the acetone vapour. The 1% Cr doping ZnO gas sensor was most sensitive for the acetone vapour. The ability of the 1% Cr-doped ZnO to produce repeatable results under different acetone vapour concentrations was tested. The timing properties of the doped Cr ZnO gas sensor were 70 and 95 s for the rise and recovery time respectively.

Growth of Horizonatal ZnO Nanowire Arrays on Any Substrate

KAUST Repository

Qin, Yong; Yang, Rusen; Wang, Zhong Lin

2008-01-01

A general method is presented for growing laterally aligned and patterned ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays on any substrate as long as it is flat. The orientation control is achieved using the combined effect from ZnO seed layer and the catalytically

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

Deposition of stress free c-axis oriented LiNbO3 thin film grown on (002) ZnO coated Si substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shandilya, Swati; Gupta, Vinay; Tomar, Monika

2012-01-01

C-axis oriented lithium niobate thin films have been deposited on Si substrate using RF sputtering technique. A thin buffer layer of c-axis (002) oriented ZnO on Si substrate has been used as a nucleating layer to promote the growth of (006) oriented LiNbO 3 film. The processing gas composition and pressure are found to be very critical in obtaining stress free LiNbO 3 film having desired (006) orientation. The LiNbO 3 films deposited under unique combination of sputtering pressure (10 mTorr) and argon percentage (80%) in reactive gas (Ar + O 2 ) composition become almost stress free having lattice parameter (1.3867 A) close to the bulk value. The observed variation in the structural properties and optical phonon modes observed by Raman spectroscopic studies of the oriented LiNbO 3 thin film with stress has been correlated with growth kinetics.

Catalyst free growth of ZnO nanowires on graphene and graphene oxide and its enhanced photoluminescence and photoresponse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biroju, Ravi K; Giri, P K; Tilak, Nikhil; Rajender, Gone; Dhara, S

2015-01-01

We demonstrate the graphene assisted catalyst free growth of ZnO nanowires (NWs) on chemical vapor deposited (CVD) and chemically processed graphene buffer layers at a relatively low growth temperature (580 °C) in the presence and absence of ZnO seed layers. In the case of CVD graphene covered with rapid thermal annealed ZnO buffer layer, the growth of vertically aligned ZnO NWs takes place, while the direct growth on CVD graphene, chemically derived graphene (graphene oxide and graphene quantum dots) without ZnO seed layer resulted in randomly oriented sparse ZnO NWs. Growth mechanism was studied from high resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy of the hybrid structure. Further, we demonstrate strong UV, visible photoluminescence (PL) and enhanced photoconductivity (PC) from the CVD graphene–ZnO NWs hybrids as compared to the ZnO NWs grown without the graphene buffer layer. The evolution of crystalinity in ZnO NWs grown with ZnO seed layer and graphene buffer layer is correlated with the Gaussian line shape of UV and visible PL. This is further supported by the strong Raman mode at 438 cm −1 significant for the wurtzite phase of the ZnO NWs grown on different graphene substrates. The effect of the thickness of ZnO seed layers and the role of graphene buffer layers on the aligned growth of ZnO NWs and its enhanced PC are investigated systematically. Our results demonstrate the catalyst free growth and superior performance of graphene–ZnO NW hybrid UV photodetectors as compared to the bare ZnO NW based photodetectors. (paper)

Insights into post-annealing and silver doping effects on the internal microstructure of ZnO nanoparticles through X-ray diffraction probe

Science.gov (United States)

Obeydavi, Ali; Dastafkan, Kamran; Rahimi, Mohammad; Ghadam Dezfouli, Mohammad Amin

2017-07-01

ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized via Pechini method at various post-annealing temperatures (400°, 500°, and 600 °C) and silver doping concentrations (Zn:Ag molar ratios of 30, 20, and 10). Multifarious microstructural features including crystallite size, size-strain based broadening, residual stress, preferential orientation, crystallinity degree, lattice parameters, unit cell variation, and stacking fault probability were surveyed through phase analysis, Williamson-Hall plot, texture coefficient and unit cell calculations. X-ray probing verified good crystallinity with a hexagonal close pack Wurtzite morphology. Williamson-Hall analysis exhibited distributions of crystallite size and microstrain as well as their contributions on the line broadening of the host ZnO and guest Ag phases upon annealing-doping treatments. Textural analysis revealed the alteration in anisotropic crystallinity of the host phase and transformation of the preferred directions, (100) and (101), as function of annealing-doping processes. Besides, while guest Ag phase was shown to be polycrystalline with randomly orientated crystals at moderate concentration with respect to thermal treatment, preferential orientation went through a major change, (220) to (111), with increment in Ag loadings. Under identical synthetic conditions, the distinction in the lattice constants and unit cell variation between pure and doped ZnO nanoparticles was enforced and results verified major impressionability via annealing and doping factors.

Antibacterial and barrier properties of oriented polymer films with ZnO thin films applied with atomic layer deposition at low temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vähä-Nissi, Mika; Pitkänen, Marja; Salo, Erkki; Kenttä, Eija; Tanskanen, Anne; Sajavaara, Timo; Putkonen, Matti; Sievänen, Jenni; Sneck, Asko; Rättö, Marjaana; Karppinen, Maarit; Harlin, Ali

2014-01-01

Concerns on food safety, and need for high quality and extended shelf-life of packaged foods have promoted the development of antibacterial barrier packaging materials. Few articles have been available dealing with the barrier or antimicrobial properties of zinc oxide thin films deposited at low temperature with atomic layer deposition (ALD) onto commercial polymer films typically used for packaging purposes. The purpose of this paper was to study the properties of ZnO thin films compared to those of aluminum oxide. It was also possible to deposit ZnO thin films onto oriented polylactic acid and polypropylene films at relatively low temperatures using ozone instead of water as an oxidizing precursor for diethylzinc. Replacing water with ozone changed both the structure and the chemical composition of films deposited on silicon wafers. ZnO films deposited with ozone contained large grains covered and separated probably by a more amorphous and uniform layer. These thin films were also assumed to contain zinc salts of carboxylic acids. The barrier properties of a 25 nm ZnO thin film deposited with ozone at 100 °C were quite close to those obtained earlier with ALD Al 2 O 3 of similar apparent thickness on similar polymer films. ZnO thin films deposited at low temperature indicated migration of antibacterial agent, while direct contact between ZnO and Al 2 O 3 thin films and bacteria promoted antibacterial activity. - Highlights: • Thin films were grown from diethylzinc also with ozone instead of water at 70 and 100 °C. • ZnO films deposited with diethylzinc and ozone had different structures and chemistries. • Best barrier properties obtained with zinc oxide films close to those obtained with Al 2 O 3 • Ozone as oxygen source provided better barrier properties at 100 °C than water. • Both aluminum and zinc oxide thin films showed antimicrobial activity against E. coli

Antibacterial and barrier properties of oriented polymer films with ZnO thin films applied with atomic layer deposition at low temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vähä-Nissi, Mika, E-mail: mika.vaha-nissi@vtt.fi [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044, VTT (Finland); Pitkänen, Marja; Salo, Erkki; Kenttä, Eija [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044, VTT (Finland); Tanskanen, Anne, E-mail: Anne.Tanskanen@aalto.fi [Aalto University, School of Chemical Technology, Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland); Sajavaara, Timo, E-mail: timo.sajavaara@jyu.fi [University of Jyväskylä, Department of Physics, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä (Finland); Putkonen, Matti; Sievänen, Jenni; Sneck, Asko; Rättö, Marjaana [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044, VTT (Finland); Karppinen, Maarit, E-mail: Maarit.Karppinen@aalto.fi [Aalto University, School of Chemical Technology, Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland); Harlin, Ali [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044, VTT (Finland)

2014-07-01

Concerns on food safety, and need for high quality and extended shelf-life of packaged foods have promoted the development of antibacterial barrier packaging materials. Few articles have been available dealing with the barrier or antimicrobial properties of zinc oxide thin films deposited at low temperature with atomic layer deposition (ALD) onto commercial polymer films typically used for packaging purposes. The purpose of this paper was to study the properties of ZnO thin films compared to those of aluminum oxide. It was also possible to deposit ZnO thin films onto oriented polylactic acid and polypropylene films at relatively low temperatures using ozone instead of water as an oxidizing precursor for diethylzinc. Replacing water with ozone changed both the structure and the chemical composition of films deposited on silicon wafers. ZnO films deposited with ozone contained large grains covered and separated probably by a more amorphous and uniform layer. These thin films were also assumed to contain zinc salts of carboxylic acids. The barrier properties of a 25 nm ZnO thin film deposited with ozone at 100 °C were quite close to those obtained earlier with ALD Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} of similar apparent thickness on similar polymer films. ZnO thin films deposited at low temperature indicated migration of antibacterial agent, while direct contact between ZnO and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films and bacteria promoted antibacterial activity. - Highlights: • Thin films were grown from diethylzinc also with ozone instead of water at 70 and 100 °C. • ZnO films deposited with diethylzinc and ozone had different structures and chemistries. • Best barrier properties obtained with zinc oxide films close to those obtained with Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} • Ozone as oxygen source provided better barrier properties at 100 °C than water. • Both aluminum and zinc oxide thin films showed antimicrobial activity against E. coli.

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.

A comparative study of physico-chemical properties of CBD and SILAR grown ZnO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jambure, S.B.; Patil, S.J.; Deshpande, A.R.; Lokhande, C.D., E-mail: l_chandrakant@yahoo.com

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: Schematic model indicating ZnO nanorods by CBD (Z{sub 1}) and nanograins by SILAR (Z{sub 2}). - Highlights: • Simple methods for the synthesis of ZnO thin films. • Comparative study of physico-chemical properties of ZnO thin films prepared by CBD and SILAR methods. • CBD outperforms SILAR method. - Abstract: In the present work, nanocrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films have been successfully deposited onto glass substrates by simple and economical chemical bath deposition (CBD) and successive ionic layer adsorption reaction (SILAR) methods. These films were further characterized for their structural, optical, surface morphological and wettability properties. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns for both CBD and SILAR deposited ZnO thin films reveal the highly crystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure. From optical studies, band gaps obtained are 2.9 and 3.0 eV for CBD and SILAR deposited thin films, respectively. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) patterns show growth of well defined randomly oriented nanorods and nanograins on the CBD and SILAR deposited samples, respectively. The resistivity of CBD deposited films (10{sup 2} Ω cm) is lower than that of SILAR deposited films (10{sup 5} Ω cm). Surface wettability studies show hydrophobic nature for both films. From the above results it can be concluded that CBD grown ZnO thin films show better properties as compared to SILAR method.

A comparative study of physico-chemical properties of CBD and SILAR grown ZnO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jambure, S.B.; Patil, S.J.; Deshpande, A.R.; Lokhande, C.D.

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: Schematic model indicating ZnO nanorods by CBD (Z 1 ) and nanograins by SILAR (Z 2 ). - Highlights: • Simple methods for the synthesis of ZnO thin films. • Comparative study of physico-chemical properties of ZnO thin films prepared by CBD and SILAR methods. • CBD outperforms SILAR method. - Abstract: In the present work, nanocrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films have been successfully deposited onto glass substrates by simple and economical chemical bath deposition (CBD) and successive ionic layer adsorption reaction (SILAR) methods. These films were further characterized for their structural, optical, surface morphological and wettability properties. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns for both CBD and SILAR deposited ZnO thin films reveal the highly crystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure. From optical studies, band gaps obtained are 2.9 and 3.0 eV for CBD and SILAR deposited thin films, respectively. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) patterns show growth of well defined randomly oriented nanorods and nanograins on the CBD and SILAR deposited samples, respectively. The resistivity of CBD deposited films (10 2 Ω cm) is lower than that of SILAR deposited films (10 5 Ω cm). Surface wettability studies show hydrophobic nature for both films. From the above results it can be concluded that CBD grown ZnO thin films show better properties as compared to SILAR method

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.

ZnO film for application in surface acoustic wave device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, X Y; Fu, Y Q; Tan, S C; Luo, J K; Flewitt, A J; Maeng, S; Kim, S H; Choi, Y J; Lee, D S; Park, N M; Park, J; Milne, W I

2007-01-01

High quality, c-axis oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were grown on silicon substrate using RF magnetron sputtering. Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices were fabricated with different thickness of ZnO ranging from 1.2 to 5.5 μmUm and the frequency responses were characterized using a network analyzer. Thick ZnO films produce the strongest transmission and reflection signals from the SAW devices. The SAW propagation velocity is also strongly dependent on ZnO film thickness. The performance of the ZnO SAW devices could be improved with addition of a SiO 2 layer, in name of reflection signal amplitude and phase velocity of Rayleigh wave

Photocatalytic efficiency of reusable ZnO thin films deposited by sputtering technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahumada-Lazo, R.; Torres-Martínez, L.M.; Ruíz-Gómez, M.A.; Vega-Becerra, O.E.

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Decolorization of Orange G dye using highly c-axis-oriented ZnO thin films. • The flake-shaped film shows superior and stable photoactivity at a wide range of pH. • The highest photodecolorization was achieved at pH of 7. • The exposure of (101) and (100) facets enhanced the photoactivity. • ZnO thin films exhibit a promising performance as recyclable photocatalysts. - Abstract: The photocatalytic activity of ZnO thin films with different physicochemical characteristics deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on glass substrate was tested for the decolorization of orange G dye aqueous solution (OG). The crystalline phase, surface morphology, surface roughness and the optical properties of these ZnO films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), respectively. The dye photodecolorization process was studied at acid, neutral and basic pH media under UV irradiation of 365 nm. Results showed that ZnO films grow with an orientation along the c-axis of the substrate and exhibit a wurtzite crystal structure with a (002) preferential crystalline orientation. A clear relationship between surface morphology and photocatalytic activity was observed for ZnO films. Additionally, the recycling photocatalytic abilities of the films were also evaluated. A promising photocatalytic performance has been found with a very low variation of the decolorization degree after five consecutive cycles at a wide range of pH media

Photocatalytic efficiency of reusable ZnO thin films deposited by sputtering technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahumada-Lazo, R.; Torres-Martínez, L.M. [Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ingeniería Civil, Departamento de Ecomateriales y Energía, Av. Universidad S/N Ciudad Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León C.P. 66450, México (Mexico); Ruíz-Gómez, M.A. [Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ingeniería Civil, Departamento de Ecomateriales y Energía, Av. Universidad S/N Ciudad Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León C.P. 66450, México (Mexico); Departmento de Física Aplicada, CINVESTAV-IPN, Antigua Carretera a Progreso km 6, Mérida, Yucatán 97310, México (Mexico); Vega-Becerra, O.E. [Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados S.C, Alianza norte 202, Parque de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica, C.P. 66600 Apodaca Nuevo León, México (Mexico); and others

2014-12-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Decolorization of Orange G dye using highly c-axis-oriented ZnO thin films. • The flake-shaped film shows superior and stable photoactivity at a wide range of pH. • The highest photodecolorization was achieved at pH of 7. • The exposure of (101) and (100) facets enhanced the photoactivity. • ZnO thin films exhibit a promising performance as recyclable photocatalysts. - Abstract: The photocatalytic activity of ZnO thin films with different physicochemical characteristics deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on glass substrate was tested for the decolorization of orange G dye aqueous solution (OG). The crystalline phase, surface morphology, surface roughness and the optical properties of these ZnO films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), respectively. The dye photodecolorization process was studied at acid, neutral and basic pH media under UV irradiation of 365 nm. Results showed that ZnO films grow with an orientation along the c-axis of the substrate and exhibit a wurtzite crystal structure with a (002) preferential crystalline orientation. A clear relationship between surface morphology and photocatalytic activity was observed for ZnO films. Additionally, the recycling photocatalytic abilities of the films were also evaluated. A promising photocatalytic performance has been found with a very low variation of the decolorization degree after five consecutive cycles at a wide range of pH media.

Synthesis and characterization of Mn-doped ZnO column arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Mei; Guo Zhixing; Qiu Kehui; Long Jianping; Yin Guangfu; Guan Denggao; Liu Sutian; Zhou Shijie

2010-01-01

Mn-doped ZnO column arrays were successfully synthesized by conventional sol-gel process. Effect of Mn/Zn atomic ratio and reaction time were investigated, and the morphology, tropism and optical properties of Mn-doped ZnO column arrays were characterized by SEM, XRD and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The result shows that a Mn/Zn atomic ratio of 0.1 and growth time of 12 h are the optimal condition for the preparation of densely distributed ZnO column arrays. XRD analysis shows that Mn-doped ZnO column arrays are highly c-axis oriented. As for Mn-doped ZnO column arrays, obvious increase of photoluminescence intensity is observed at the wavelength of ∼395 nm and ∼413 nm, compared to pure ZnO column arrays.

UV irradiation assisted growth of ZnO nanowires on optical fiber surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong, Bo; Shi, Tielin; Liao, Guanglan; Li, Xiaoping; Huang, Jie; Zhou, Temgyuan; Tang, Zirong, E-mail: zirong@mail.hust.edu.cn

2017-06-01

Highlights: • A new fabrication process combined a hydrothermal process with UV irradiation from optical fiber is developed. • The growth of ZnO nanowires is efficient in the utilization of UV light. • A novel hybrid structure which integrates ZnO nanowires on optical fiber surface is synthesized. • The UV assisted growth of ZnO nanowires shows preferred orientation and better quality. • A mechanism of growing ZnO nanowires under UV irradiation is proposed. - Abstract: In this paper, a novel approach was developed for the enhanced growth of ZnO nanowires on optical fiber surface. The method combined a hydrothermal process with the efficient UV irradiation from the fiber core, and the effects of UV irradiation on the growth behavior of ZnO nanowires were investigated. The results show that UV irradiation had great effects on the preferred growth orientation and the quality of the ZnO nanowires. The crystallization velocity along the c-axis would increase rapidly with the increase of the irradiation power, while the growth process in the lateral direction was marginally affected by the irradiation. The structure of ZnO nanowires also shows less oxygen vacancy with UV irradiation of higher power. The developed approach is applicable for the efficient growth of nanowires on the fiber surface, and the ZnO nanowires/optical fiber hybrid structures have great potentials for a wide variety of applications such as optical fiber sensors and probes.

Superhydrophobic ZnAl double hydroxide nanostructures and ZnO films on Al and glass substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De, Debasis, E-mail: debasis.de@bcrec.ac.in [Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering Department, Dr. B C Roy Engineering College, Durgapur, West Bengal 713206 (India); Sarkar, D.K. [Centre Universitaire de Recherche sur l' Aluminium (CURAL), L' Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 555 Blvd. Université, Chicoutimi, Saguenay, Québec G7H 2B1 (Canada)

2017-01-01

Superhydrophobic nanostructured ZnAl: layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and ZnO films have been fabricated on Al and glass substrates, respectively, by a simple and cost effective chemical bath deposition technique. Randomly oriented hexagonal patterned of ZnAl: LDHs thin nanoplates are clearly observed on Al-substrate in the scanning electron microscopic images. The average size of these hexagonal plates is ∼4 μm side and ∼30 nm of thickness. While on the glass substrate, a oriented hexagonal patterned ZnO nanorods (height ∼5 μm and 1 μm diameter) are observed and each rod is further decorated throughout the top few nanometers with several nanosteps. At the top of the nanorod, a perfectly hexagonal patterned ZnO surface with ∼250 nm sides is observed. The tendency to form hexagonal morphological features is due to the hexagonal crystal structure of ZnO confirmed from X-ray diffraction patterns and transmission electron microscopy image. The ZnAl: LDHs and/or ZnO coated substrates have been passivated by using stearic acid (SA) molecules. Infrared spectra of passivated ZnAl: LDHs coated substrates confirm the presence of SA. X-ray diffraction pattern also corroborates the results of infrared spectrum. The contact angle of the as prepared samples is zero. The superhydrophobicity is achieved by observing contact angle of ∼161° with a hysteresis of ∼4° for Al-substrate. On the glass substrate, a higher contact angle of ∼168° with a lower hysteresis of ∼3° is observed. A lower surface roughness of ∼4.93 μm is measured on ZnAl: LDHs surface layer on the Al substrate as compare to a higher surface roughness of 6.87 μm measured on ZnO layer on glass substrate. The superhydrophobicity of passivated nanostructured films on two different substrates is observed due to high surface roughness and low surface energy. - Highlights: • ZnAl: layered double hydroxides (LDHs) nanoplates are fabricated on Al substrate. • ZnO nanorods are fabricated on

Toward single-mode random lasing within a submicrometre-sized spherical ZnO particle film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niyuki, Ryo; Fujiwara, Hideki; Sasaki, Keiji; Ishikawa, Yoshie; Koshizaki, Naoto; Tsuji, Takeshi

2016-01-01

We had recently reported unique random laser action such as quasi-single-mode and low-threshold lasing from a submicrometre-sized spherical ZnO nanoparticle film with polymer particles as defects. The present study demonstrates a novel approach to realize single-mode random lasing by adjusting the sizes of the defect particles. From the dependence of random lasing properties on defect size, we find that the average number of lasing peaks can be modified by the defect size, while other lasing properties such as lasing wavelengths and thresholds remain unchanged. These results suggest that lasing wavelengths and thresholds are determined by the resonant properties of the surrounding scatterers, while the defect size stochastically determines the number of lasing peaks. Therefore, if we optimize the sizes of the defects and scatterers, we can intentionally induce single-mode lasing even in a random structure (Fujiwara et al 2013 Appl. Phys. Lett. 102 061110). (paper)

Effect of precursor solutions on ZnO film via solution precursor plasma spray and corresponding gas sensing performances

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Z. X.; Ma, Y. Z.; Zhao, Y. L.; Huang, J. B.; Wang, W. Z.; Moliere, M.; Liao, H. L.

2017-08-01

Solution precursor plasma spraying (SPPS) as a novel thermal spray method was employed to deposit nano-structured ZnO thin film using different formulations of the precursor solution. This article focuses on the influence of the solution composition on the preferential orientation of crystal growth, on crystal size and surface morphology of the resulting ZnO films. The trend of preferential growth along (002) lattice plane of ZnO film was studied by slow scanning X-ray diffraction using a specific coefficient P(002). It appears that the thermal spray process promotes the buildup of ZnO films preferentially oriented along the c-axis. The shape of single particle tends to change from round shaped beads to hexagonal plates by increasing the volume ratio of ethanol in the solvent. Both cauliflower and honeycomb-like surface morphologies featuring high specific surface area and roughness were obtained through the SPPS process by varying solution composition. These ZnO films are hydrophobic with contact angle as high as 136°, which is seemingly associated with micro reliefs developing high surface specific area. Then the gas sensing performances of ZnO films preferentially oriented along (002) face were tentatively predicted using the "first principle calculation method" and were compared with those of conventional films that are mainly oriented along the (101) face. The (002) face displays better hydrogen adsorption capability than the (101) face with much larger resulting changes in electrical resistance. In conclusion, the c-axis oriented ZnO films obtained through SSPS have favorable performances to be used as sensitive layer in gas sensing applications.

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.

Deposition of stress free c-axis oriented LiNbO{sub 3} thin film grown on (002) ZnO coated Si substrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shandilya, Swati; Gupta, Vinay [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Tomar, Monika [Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India)

2012-05-15

C-axis oriented lithium niobate thin films have been deposited on Si substrate using RF sputtering technique. A thin buffer layer of c-axis (002) oriented ZnO on Si substrate has been used as a nucleating layer to promote the growth of (006) oriented LiNbO{sub 3} film. The processing gas composition and pressure are found to be very critical in obtaining stress free LiNbO{sub 3} film having desired (006) orientation. The LiNbO{sub 3} films deposited under unique combination of sputtering pressure (10 mTorr) and argon percentage (80%) in reactive gas (Ar + O{sub 2}) composition become almost stress free having lattice parameter (1.3867 A) close to the bulk value. The observed variation in the structural properties and optical phonon modes observed by Raman spectroscopic studies of the oriented LiNbO{sub 3} thin film with stress has been correlated with growth kinetics.

Structural and interfacial defects in c-axis oriented LiNbO3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition on Si using Al : ZnO conducting layer

Science.gov (United States)

Shandilya, Swati; Tomar, Monika; Sreenivas, K.; Gupta, Vinay

2009-05-01

Highly c-axis oriented LiNbO3 films are deposited using pulsed laser deposition on a silicon substrate using a transparent conducting Al doped ZnO layer. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic analysis show the fabrication of single phase and oriented LiNbO3 films under the optimized deposition condition. An extra peak at 905 cm-1 was observed in the Raman spectra of LiNbO3 film deposited at higher substrate temperature and higher oxygen pressure, and attributed to the presence of niobium antisite defects in the lattice. Dielectric constant and ac conductivity of oriented LiNbO3 films deposited under the static and rotating substrate modes have been studied. Films deposited under the rotating substrate mode exhibit dielectric properties close to the LiNbO3 single crystal. The cause of deviation in the dielectric properties of the film deposited under the static substrate mode, in comparison with the bulk, are discussed in the light of the possible formation of an interdiffusion layer at the interface of the LiNbO3 film and the Al : ZnO layer.

Structural and interfacial defects in c-axis oriented LiNbO3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition on Si using Al : ZnO conducting layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shandilya, Swati; Sreenivas, K; Gupta, Vinay; Tomar, Monika

2009-01-01

Highly c-axis oriented LiNbO 3 films are deposited using pulsed laser deposition on a silicon substrate using a transparent conducting Al doped ZnO layer. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic analysis show the fabrication of single phase and oriented LiNbO 3 films under the optimized deposition condition. An extra peak at 905 cm -1 was observed in the Raman spectra of LiNbO 3 film deposited at higher substrate temperature and higher oxygen pressure, and attributed to the presence of niobium antisite defects in the lattice. Dielectric constant and ac conductivity of oriented LiNbO 3 films deposited under the static and rotating substrate modes have been studied. Films deposited under the rotating substrate mode exhibit dielectric properties close to the LiNbO 3 single crystal. The cause of deviation in the dielectric properties of the film deposited under the static substrate mode, in comparison with the bulk, are discussed in the light of the possible formation of an interdiffusion layer at the interface of the LiNbO 3 film and the Al : ZnO layer.

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.

Residual stress and bending strength of ZnO films deposited on polyimide sheet by RF sputtering system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kusaka, Kazuya, E-mail: kusaka@tokushima-u.ac.jp [Institute of Technology and Science, Tokushima University, 2-1, Minamijosanjima, Tokushima, Tokushima 7708506 (Japan); Maruoka, Yutaka, E-mail: ymaruoka1116@gmail.com [Graduate School of Advanced Technology and Science, Tokushima University, 2-1, Minamijosanjima, Tokushima, Tokushima 7708506 (Japan); Matsue, Tatsuya, E-mail: tmatsue@mat.niihama-nct.ac.jp [Department of Environmental Materials Engineering National Institute of Technology, NIIHAMA College, 7-1, Yakumo-cho, Niihama, Ehime 7928580 (Japan)

2016-05-15

Zinc oxide (ZnO) films were deposited on a soft polyimide sheet substrate by radio frequency sputtering with a ZnO powder target, and the films' crystal orientations and residual stress were investigated using x-ray diffraction as a function of substrate temperature. C-axis oriented ZnO films were achieved using this ZnO powder target method. The ZnO films exhibited high compressive residual stresses between −0.7 and −1.4 GPa. Finally, the authors examined the strength of the obtained film by applying tensile bending loads. No cracks were observed on the surfaces of the ZnO films after a bending test using cylinders with diameters >25 mm. After a bending test using a cylinder with a diameter of 19 mm, large cracks were formed on the films. Therefore, the authors concluded that the tensile bending strength of the obtained films was greater than ∼420 MPa.

ZnO epitaxy on SiC(0001-bar) substrate: Comparison with ZnO/SiC(0 0 0 1) heterostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashrafi, Almamun; Aminuzzaman, Mohammod

2011-01-01

ZnO thin layers deposited on 6H-SiC substrates showed six-fold crystal symmetry with an epitaxial relationship of (0 0 0 2) ZnO ||(0 0 0 6) SiC and [112-bar 0] ZnO ||[112-bar 0] SiC . Despite the different 6H-SiC substrate surface orientations for the ZnO epitaxy, the orientation relationship of ZnO/6H-SiC heterostructures is identical, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. In these ZnO/6H-SiC(0 0 0 1) and ZnO/6H-SiC(0001-bar) heterostructures, the valence band offsets are measured to be 1.12 eV and 1.09 eV, leading to the conduction band offset values of 0.75 eV and 0.72 eV, respectively. These slightly different band-offset values in ZnO/6H-SiC heterojunctions are attributed to the variation of valence band maximums and the different interface charge compensation mechanisms.

Structural and interfacial defects in c-axis oriented LiNbO{sub 3} thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition on Si using Al : ZnO conducting layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shandilya, Swati; Sreenivas, K; Gupta, Vinay [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Tomar, Monika [Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India)

2009-05-07

Highly c-axis oriented LiNbO{sub 3} films are deposited using pulsed laser deposition on a silicon substrate using a transparent conducting Al doped ZnO layer. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic analysis show the fabrication of single phase and oriented LiNbO{sub 3} films under the optimized deposition condition. An extra peak at 905 cm{sup -1} was observed in the Raman spectra of LiNbO{sub 3} film deposited at higher substrate temperature and higher oxygen pressure, and attributed to the presence of niobium antisite defects in the lattice. Dielectric constant and ac conductivity of oriented LiNbO{sub 3} films deposited under the static and rotating substrate modes have been studied. Films deposited under the rotating substrate mode exhibit dielectric properties close to the LiNbO{sub 3} single crystal. The cause of deviation in the dielectric properties of the film deposited under the static substrate mode, in comparison with the bulk, are discussed in the light of the possible formation of an interdiffusion layer at the interface of the LiNbO{sub 3} film and the Al : ZnO layer.

Microwave assisted synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles for lighting and dye removal application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Vijay, E-mail: vijays_phy@rediffmail.com [Department of Physics, University of Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, ZA 9300 (South Africa); Gohain, M. [Department of Chemistry, University of Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, ZA 9300 (South Africa); Som, S.; Kumar, Vinod [Department of Physics, University of Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, ZA 9300 (South Africa); Bezuindenhoudt, B.C.B. [Department of Chemistry, University of Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, ZA 9300 (South Africa); Swart, Hendrik C., E-mail: swarthc@ufs.ac.za [Department of Physics, University of Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, ZA 9300 (South Africa)

2016-01-01

In this study, we report on the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) via the microwave-assisted technique. The as-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were annealed at 500 °C for three hours. The ZnO NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopic techniques. XRD results confirmed the formation of as-synthesized ZnO powder oriented along the (101) direction. The Kubelka–Munk function has been employed to determine the band gap of the ZnO powder. ZnO powder has been studied by photoluminescence (PL) before and after annealing to identify the emission of defects in the visible range. The intensity of the PL emission has decreased after annealing. The synthesized ZnO samples were also studied for methyl orange dye removal from waste water. It has been found that the as-synthesized ZnO shows better adsorption behaviour as compared to the annealed sample.

Recent advances in ZnO nanostructures and thin films for biosensor applications: Review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arya, Sunil K.; Saha, Shibu; Ramirez-Vick, Jaime E.; Gupta, Vinay; Bhansali, Shekhar; Singh, Surinder P.

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: ZnO nanostructures have shown binding of biomolecules in desired orientation with improved conformation and high biological activity, resulting in enhanced sensing characteristics. Furthermore, their compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for constructing integrated circuits makes them suitable candidate for future small integrated biosensor devices. This review highlights various approaches to synthesize ZnO nanostructures and thin films, and their applications in biosensor technology. Highlights: ► This review highlights various approaches to synthesize ZnO nanostructures and thin films. ► Article highlights the importance of ZnO nanostructures as biosensor matrix. ► Article highlights the advances in various biosensors based on ZnO nanostructures. ► Article describes the potential of ZnO based biosensor for new generation healthcare devices. - Abstract: Biosensors have shown great potential for health care and environmental monitoring. The performance of biosensors depends on their components, among which the matrix material, i.e., the layer between the recognition layer of biomolecule and transducer, plays a crucial role in defining the stability, sensitivity and shelf-life of a biosensor. Recently, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures and thin films have attracted much interest as materials for biosensors due to their biocompatibility, chemical stability, high isoelectric point, electrochemical activity, high electron mobility, ease of synthesis by diverse methods and high surface-to-volume ratio. ZnO nanostructures have shown the binding of biomolecules in desired orientations with improved conformation and high biological activity, resulting in enhanced sensing characteristics. Furthermore, compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for constructing integrated circuits makes ZnO nanostructures suitable candidate for future small integrated biosensor devices. This review

Recent advances in ZnO nanostructures and thin films for biosensor applications: Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arya, Sunil K., E-mail: sunilarya333@gmail.com [Bioelectronics Program, Institute of Microelectronics, A-Star 11 Science Park Road, Singapore Science Park II, Singapore 117685 (Singapore); Saha, Shibu [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Ramirez-Vick, Jaime E. [Engineering Science and Materials Department, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR 00681 (United States); Gupta, Vinay [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Bhansali, Shekhar [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL (United States); Singh, Surinder P., E-mail: singh.uprm@gmail.com [National Physical Laboratory, Dr K.S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi 110012 (India)

2012-08-06

Graphical abstract: ZnO nanostructures have shown binding of biomolecules in desired orientation with improved conformation and high biological activity, resulting in enhanced sensing characteristics. Furthermore, their compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for constructing integrated circuits makes them suitable candidate for future small integrated biosensor devices. This review highlights various approaches to synthesize ZnO nanostructures and thin films, and their applications in biosensor technology. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This review highlights various approaches to synthesize ZnO nanostructures and thin films. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Article highlights the importance of ZnO nanostructures as biosensor matrix. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Article highlights the advances in various biosensors based on ZnO nanostructures. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Article describes the potential of ZnO based biosensor for new generation healthcare devices. - Abstract: Biosensors have shown great potential for health care and environmental monitoring. The performance of biosensors depends on their components, among which the matrix material, i.e., the layer between the recognition layer of biomolecule and transducer, plays a crucial role in defining the stability, sensitivity and shelf-life of a biosensor. Recently, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures and thin films have attracted much interest as materials for biosensors due to their biocompatibility, chemical stability, high isoelectric point, electrochemical activity, high electron mobility, ease of synthesis by diverse methods and high surface-to-volume ratio. ZnO nanostructures have shown the binding of biomolecules in desired orientations with improved conformation and high biological activity, resulting in enhanced sensing characteristics. Furthermore, compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for constructing integrated circuits makes ZnO

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.

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

Structural and morphological characterizations of ZnO films grown on GaAs substrates by MOCVD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agouram, S.; Zuniga Perez, J.; Munoz-Sanjose, V. [Universitat de Valencia, Departamento de Fisica Aplicada y Electromagnetismo, Burjassot (Spain)

2007-07-15

ZnO films were grown on GaAs(100), GaAs(111)A and GaAs(111)B substrates by metal organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD). Diethylzinc (DEZn) and tertiarybutanol (t-butanol) were used as Zn and O precursors, respectively. The influence of the growth temperature and GaAs substrate orientation on the crystalline orientation and morphology of the ZnO grown films has been analysed. Crystallinity of grown films was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD); thickness and morphology of ZnO films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM results reveal significant differences between morphologies depending on growth temperature but not significant differences were detected on the texture of grown films. (orig.)

Surface roughness of sputtered ZnO films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Y S [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Dong Hwa University, 1, Sec. 2, Da Hsueh Rd. Shou-Feng, Hualien, Taiwan (China); Hsu, K C [Department of Photonics and Institute of Electro-Optical Engineering, National Chiao-Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Huang, Y M [Institute of Electronics Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Technology, 1 Nan-Tai Street, Taiwan (China)

2006-09-01

ZnO films are grown on Si and glass substrates by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The crystalline structures are investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD). Moreover, the roughness characteristics of the films are examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). All films exhibit strong (002) preferential orientation. The influence of the RF power and target-to-substrate distance (D{sub ts}) on the properties of ZnO is studied. Under the optimized conditions of the RF power and D{sub ts}, root-mean-square (RMS) surface roughnesses of <0.8 nm are achieved.

Surface roughness of sputtered ZnO films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Y S; Hsu, K C; Huang, Y M

2006-01-01

ZnO films are grown on Si and glass substrates by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The crystalline structures are investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD). Moreover, the roughness characteristics of the films are examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). All films exhibit strong (002) preferential orientation. The influence of the RF power and target-to-substrate distance (D ts ) on the properties of ZnO is studied. Under the optimized conditions of the RF power and D ts , root-mean-square (RMS) surface roughnesses of <0.8 nm are achieved

ZnO epitaxy on SiC(0001-bar) substrate: Comparison with ZnO/SiC(0 0 0 1) heterostructure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ashrafi, Almamun, E-mail: ash2phy@gmail.com [Department of Physics, University of Vermont, VT 05405 (United States); Aminuzzaman, Mohammod [Department of Chemical Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Perak (Malaysia)

2011-05-01

ZnO thin layers deposited on 6H-SiC substrates showed six-fold crystal symmetry with an epitaxial relationship of (0 0 0 2){sub ZnO}||(0 0 0 6){sub SiC} and [112-bar 0]{sub ZnO}||[112-bar 0]{sub SiC}. Despite the different 6H-SiC substrate surface orientations for the ZnO epitaxy, the orientation relationship of ZnO/6H-SiC heterostructures is identical, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. In these ZnO/6H-SiC(0 0 0 1) and ZnO/6H-SiC(0001-bar) heterostructures, the valence band offsets are measured to be 1.12 eV and 1.09 eV, leading to the conduction band offset values of 0.75 eV and 0.72 eV, respectively. These slightly different band-offset values in ZnO/6H-SiC heterojunctions are attributed to the variation of valence band maximums and the different interface charge compensation mechanisms.

Growth of Horizonatal ZnO Nanowire Arrays on Any Substrate

KAUST Repository

Qin, Yong

2008-12-04

A general method is presented for growing laterally aligned and patterned ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays on any substrate as long as it is flat. The orientation control is achieved using the combined effect from ZnO seed layer and the catalytically inactive Cr (or Sn) layer for NW growth. The growth temperature (< 100 °C) is so low that the method can be applied to a wide range of substrates that can be inorganic, organic, single crystal, polycrystal, or amorphous. The laterally aligned ZnO NW arrays can be employed for various applications, such as gas sensor, field effect transistor, nanogenerator, and flexible electronics. © 2008 American Chemical Society.

Characterization of homoepitaxial and heteroepitaxial ZnO films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Z.Q. [Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, 1233 Watanuki, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan)]. E-mail: chenzq@taka.jaeri.go.jp; Yamamoto, S. [Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, 1233 Watanuki, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Kawasuso, A. [Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, 1233 Watanuki, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Xu, Y. [Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, 1233 Watanuki, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Sekiguchi, T. [National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047 (Japan)

2005-05-15

Homo- and heteroepitaxial ZnO films were grown on ZnO (0001) and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (1-bar 1-bar 2-bar -bar 0) substrates by using pulsed laser deposition. The X-ray diffraction and Raman measurements for these films show good correspondence with the bulk ZnO substrate, which confirms successful growth of c-axis oriented ZnO layer. Strong UV emission was also observed in these films, indicating good optical quality. However, the surface roughness differs very much for the homo- and heteroepitaxial film, that is, much less for the homoepitaxial layer. Positron annihilation measurements reveal a higher vacancy concentration in the homoepitaxial layer.

High power Co3O4/ZnO p–n type piezoelectric transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Yuh-Chung; Lee, Tsung-Han; Chang, Pei-Zen; Su, Pei-Chen

2015-01-01

Enhancing the output power of piezoelectric transducer is essential in order to supply sufficient and sustainable power to wireless sensor nodes or electronic devices. In this work, a Co 3 O 4 /ZnO p–n type power piezoelectric transducer which can be operated at low frequencies has been developed by utilizing n-type semiconducting zinc oxide (ZnO) and p-type semiconducting tricobalt tetroxide (Co 3 O 4 ). We utilize ZnO to be the piezoelectric transducer and build a multi-layer (Au/Co 3 O 4 /ZnO/Ti) thin film structure. The ZnO thin film with preferred orientation along the (002) plane was deposited under optimized deposition conditions on the flexible titanium (Ti) foil with thickness of 80 μm. The Co 3 O 4 /ZnO interface forms a p–n junction and increases the difference in Fermi levels between the two electrodes, resulting in the great enhancement of output power. The measured output power of the p–n type piezoelectric transducer with optimal resistance of 100 kΩ is 10.4 μW at low operating frequency of 37 Hz, which is 10.9 times of output power of ZnO piezoelectric transducers. - Highlights: • Deposited zinc oxide performed good piezoelectric coefficient. • ZnO thin film with preferred orientation along the (002) plane was deposited. • A p–n type piezoelectric transducer with enhanced output power was fabricated. • 10.9 times increment in output power was obtained. • Increase of difference in Fermi level and p–n junction formation was explained

Microstructure of ZnO thin films deposited by high power impulse magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reed, A.N., E-mail: amber.reed.5@us.af.mil [Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, 3005 Hobson Way, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433 (United States); Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469 (United States); Shamberger, P.J. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A& M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); Hu, J.J. [Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, 3005 Hobson Way, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433 (United States); University of Dayton Research Institute, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469 (United States); Muratore, C. [Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469 (United States); Bultman, J.E. [Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, 3005 Hobson Way, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433 (United States); University of Dayton Research Institute, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469 (United States); Voevodin, A.A., E-mail: andrey.voevodin@us.af.mil [Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, 3005 Hobson Way, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433 (United States)

2015-03-31

High power impulse magnetron sputtering was used to deposit thin (~ 100 nm) zinc oxide (ZnO) films from a ceramic ZnO target onto substrates heated to 150 °C. The resulting films had strong crystallinity, highly aligned (002) texture and low surface roughness (root mean square roughness less than 10 nm), as determined by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force spectroscopy measurements. Deposition pressure and target–substrate distance had the greatest effect on film microstructure. The degree of alignment in the films was strongly dependent on the gas pressure. Deposition at pressures less than 0.93 Pa resulted in a bimodal distribution of grain sizes. An initial growth layer with preferred orientations (101) and (002) parallel to the interface was observed at the film–substrate interface under all conditions examined here; the extent of that competitive region was dependent on growth conditions. Time-resolved current measurements of the target and ion energy distributions, determined using energy resolved mass spectrometry, were correlated to film microstructure in order to investigate the effect of plasma conditions on film nucleation and growth. - Highlights: • Low temperature growth of nanocrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) films. • ZnO films had a highly (002) textured, smooth, dense microstructure. • Dominant (002) orientation of films was pressure dependent. • Interfacial (101)/(002) mixed orientation layer controlled by substrate location.

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.

Microwave single-scattering properties of randomly oriented soft-ice hydrometeors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Casella

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Large ice hydrometeors are usually present in intense convective clouds and may significantly affect the upwelling radiances that are measured by satellite-borne microwave radiometers – especially, at millimeter-wavelength frequencies. Thus, interpretation of these measurements (e.g., for precipitation retrieval requires knowledge of the single scattering properties of ice particles. On the other hand, shape and internal structure of these particles (especially, the larger ones is very complex and variable, and therefore it is necessary to resort to simplifying assumptions in order to compute their single-scattering parameters.

In this study, we use the discrete dipole approximation (DDA to compute the absorption and scattering efficiencies and the asymmetry factor of two kinds of quasi-spherical and non-homogeneous soft-ice particles in the frequency range 50–183 GHz. Particles of the first kind are modeled as quasi-spherical ice particles having randomly distributed spherical air inclusions. Particles of the second kind are modeled as random aggregates of ice spheres having random radii. In both cases, particle densities and dimensions are coherent with the snow hydrometeor category that is utilized by the University of Wisconsin – Non-hydrostatic Modeling System (UW-NMS cloud-mesoscale model. Then, we compare our single-scattering results for randomly-oriented soft-ice hydrometeors with corresponding ones that make use of: a effective-medium equivalent spheres, b solid-ice equivalent spheres, and c randomly-oriented aggregates of ice cylinders. Finally, we extend to our particles the scattering formulas that have been developed by other authors for randomly-oriented aggregates of ice cylinders.

Effect of cobalt doping on the mechanical properties of ZnO nanowires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vahtrus, Mikk; Šutka, Andris [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi 1, 50412 Tartu (Estonia); Polyakov, Boris [Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, Kengaraga 8, LV-1063 Riga (Latvia); Oras, Sven; Antsov, Mikk [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi 1, 50412 Tartu (Estonia); Doebelin, Nicola [RMS Foundation, Bischmattstrasse 12, Bettlach 2544 (Switzerland); Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 1–3, Bern 3012 (Switzerland); Lõhmus, Rünno; Nõmmiste, Ergo [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi 1, 50412 Tartu (Estonia); Vlassov, Sergei, E-mail: vlassovs@ut.ee [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi 1, 50412 Tartu (Estonia)

2016-11-15

In this work, we investigate the influence of doping on the mechanical properties of ZnO nanowires (NWs) by comparing the mechanical properties of pure and Co-doped ZnO NWs grown in similar conditions and having the same crystallographic orientation [0001]. The mechanical characterization included three-point bending tests made with atomic force microscopy and cantilever beam bending tests performed inside scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the Young's modulus of ZnO NWs containing 5% of Co was approximately a third lower than that of the pure ZnO NWs. Bending strength values were comparable for both materials and in both cases were close to theoretical strength indicating high quality of NWs. Dependence of mechanical properties on NW diameter was found for both doped and undoped ZnO NWs. - Highlights: •Effect of Co doping on the mechanical properties of ZnO nanowires is studied. •Co substitutes Zn atoms in ZnO crystal lattice. •Co addition affects crystal lattice parameters. •Co addition results in significantly decreased Young's modulus of ZnO. •Bending strength for doped and undoped wires is close to the theoretical strength.

Development and surface characterization of a glucose biosensor based on a nanocolumnar ZnO film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodrigues, A., E-mail: adriana.rodrigues@partner.kit.edu [Instituto de Física − UFRGS, P.O. Box 15051, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil); Castegnaro, M.V. [Instituto de Física − UFRGS, P.O. Box 15051, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil); Arguello, J.; Alves, M.C.M. [Instituto de Química − UFRGS, P.O. Box 15003, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil); Morais, J., E-mail: jonder@if.ufrgs.br [Instituto de Física − UFRGS, P.O. Box 15051, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil)

2017-04-30

Highlights: • Glucose biosensor based on self-assembled nanocolumnar ZnO deposited on stainless steel. • XPS applied to investigate the GOx immobilization on the ZnO nanocolumns surface. • Observable chemical shifts on O1s and Zn2p corroborates enzime immobilization. - Abstract: Highly oriented nanostructured ZnO films were grown on the surface of stainless steel plates (ZnO/SS) by chemical bath deposition (CBD). The films consisted of vertically aligned ZnO nanocolumns, ∼1 μm long and ∼80 nm wide, as observed by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and FIB (focused ion beam). XRD (X-ray diffraction) confirmed the c-axis preferred orientation of the ZnO columns, which were functionalized with the glucose oxidase (GOx) enzyme into a biosensor of glucose. The electrochemical response studied by CV (cyclic voltammetry) proved that the biosensor was capable of detecting glucose from 1.5 up to 16 mM concentration range. XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) analysis, excited with synchrotron radiation, probed the atom specific chemical environment at the electrode’s surface and shed some light on the nature of the ZnO-GOx interaction.

Structure, interface, and luminescence of (011-bar1) ZnO nanofilms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Jung-Hsiung; Yeh, Sung-Wei; Huang, Hsing-Lu; Gan, Dershin

2010-01-01

ZnO nanofilms of (011-bar1) texture have been prepared by ion beam sputtering on the (001) surface of single-crystal NaCl. The orientation relationship between them is determined by transmission electron microscopy. Analyses of electron diffraction patterns and interface confirm that the ZnO (011-bar1) plane is the interface with the NaCl (001) surface. The photoluminescence spectrum from the ZnO (011-bar1) surface shows a near-band-edge UV emission and a broad green emission. The result indicates that the inherent high surface defects of oxygen vacancies on the (011-bar1) surface are the probable origin of the green emission.

Performance improvement for solution-processed high-mobility ZnO thin-film transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Chensha; Loutfy, Rafik O; Li Yuning; Wu Yiliang; Ong, Beng S

2008-01-01

The fabrication technology of stable, non-toxic, transparent, high performance zinc oxide (ZnO) thin-film semiconductors via the solution process was investigated. Two methods, which were, respectively, annealing a spin-coated precursor solution and annealing a drop-coated precursor solution, were compared. The prepared ZnO thin-film semiconductor transistors have well-controlled, preferential crystal orientation and exhibit superior field-effect performance characteristics. But the ZnO thin-film transistor (TFT) fabricated by annealing a drop-coated precursor solution has a distinctly elevated linear mobility, which further approaches the saturated mobility, compared with that fabricated by annealing a spin-coated precursor solution. The performance of the solution-processed ZnO TFT was further improved when substituting the spin-coating process by the drop-coating process

Performance improvement for solution-processed high-mobility ZnO thin-film transistors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Chensha; Loutfy, Rafik O [Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L7 (Canada); Li Yuning; Wu Yiliang; Ong, Beng S [Materials Design and Integration Laboratory, Xerox Research Centre of Canada, 2660 Speakman Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L5K 2L1 (Canada)], E-mail: lichnsa@163.com

2008-06-21

The fabrication technology of stable, non-toxic, transparent, high performance zinc oxide (ZnO) thin-film semiconductors via the solution process was investigated. Two methods, which were, respectively, annealing a spin-coated precursor solution and annealing a drop-coated precursor solution, were compared. The prepared ZnO thin-film semiconductor transistors have well-controlled, preferential crystal orientation and exhibit superior field-effect performance characteristics. But the ZnO thin-film transistor (TFT) fabricated by annealing a drop-coated precursor solution has a distinctly elevated linear mobility, which further approaches the saturated mobility, compared with that fabricated by annealing a spin-coated precursor solution. The performance of the solution-processed ZnO TFT was further improved when substituting the spin-coating process by the drop-coating process.

Selective growth of ZnO thin film nanostructures: Structure, morphology and tunable optical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krishnakanth, Katturi Naga; Sunandana, C. S. [School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad-50046 (India); Rajesh, Desapogu, E-mail: rajesh.esapogu@gmail.com, E-mail: mperd@nus.edu.sg [School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad-50046 (India); Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore (Singapore)

2016-05-23

The ZnO nanostructures (spherical, rod shape) have been successfully fabricated via a thermal evaporation followed by dip coating method. The pure, doped ZnO thin films were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and UV-Vis spectroscopy, respectively. A possible growth mechanism of the spherical, rod shape ZnO nanostructures are discussed. XRD patterns revealed that all films consist of pure ZnO phase and were well crystallized with preferential orientation towards (002) direction. Doping by PVA, PVA+Cu has effective role in the enhancement of the crystalline quality and increases in the band gap.

Polyelectrolyte-assisted preparation and characterization of nanostructured ZnO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jia, Shijun

2005-05-15

The present work focuses on the synthesis and characterization of nanostructured ZnO thin films onto silicon wafers modified by self-assembled-monolayers via chemical bath deposition. Two precursor solutions were designed and used for the film deposition, in which two different polymers were introduced respectively to control the growth of the ZnO colloidal particles in solution. ZnO films were deposited from an aqueous solution containing zinc salt and hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) in the presence of a graft-copolymer (P (MAA{sub 0.50}-co(MAA-EO{sub 20}){sub 0.50}){sub 70}). A film-formation-diagram was established based on the results obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), which describes the influence of the concentration of HMTA and copolymer on the ZnO film formation. According to the film morphology, film formation can be classified into three categories: (a) island-like films, (b) uniform films and (c) canyon-like films. The ZnO films annealed at temperatures of 450 C, 500 C, 600 C and 700 C were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). After annealing, the films are polycrystalline ZnO with wurtzite structure. XRD measurements indicate that with increasing annealing temperature, the average grain size increases accordingly and the crystallinity of the films is improved. Upon heating to 600 C, the ZnO films exhibit preferred orientation with c-axis normal to substrate, whereas the films annealed at 700 C even show a more explicit texture. By annealing at temperatures above 600 C the ZnO film reacts with the substrate to form an interfacial layer of Zn{sub 2}SiO{sub 4}, which grows thicker at elevated annealing temperatures. The ZnO films annealed at 600 C and 700 C show strong UV emission. Another non-aqueous solution system for ZnO thin film deposition was established, in which 2- propanol was used as a solvent and Zn(CH3COO){sub 2}.2H{sub 2}O as well as NaOH as reactants

Pulsed-laser deposited ZnO for device applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

King, S.L.; Gardeniers, Johannes G.E.; Boyd, I.W.

1996-01-01

The study investigates the growth by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) of ZnO thin films for the eventual incorporation into piezo-electric actuators and other sensors being developed at the University of Twente. All films are purely c-axis oriented, and results are presented which suggest the

Appraisal on Textured Grain Growth and Photoconductivity of ZnO Thin Film SILAR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deepu Thomas

2014-01-01

Full Text Available ZnO thin films were prepared by successive ionic layer adsorption reaction (SILAR method. The textured grain growth along c-axis in pure ZnO thin films and doped with Sn was studied. The structural analysis of the thin films was done by X-ray diffraction and surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy. Textured grain growth of the samples was measured by comparing the peak intensities. Textured grain growth and photo current in ZnO thin films were found to be enhanced by doping with Sn. ZnO thin film having good crystallinity with preferential (002 orientation is a semiconductor with photonic properties of potential benefit to biophotonics. From energy dispersive X-ray analysis, it is inferred that oxygen vacancy creation is responsible for the enhanced textured grain growth in ZnO thin films.

ZnO layers prepared by spray pyrolysis

Science.gov (United States)

Messaoudi, C.; Abd-Lefdil, S.; Sayah, D.; Cadene, M.

1998-02-01

Highly transparent undoped and indium doped ZnO thin films have been grown on glass substrates by using the spray pyrolysis process. Conditions of preparation have been optimized to get good quality and reproducible films with required properties. Polycrystalline films with an hexagonal Wurtzite-type structure were easily obtained under the optimum spraying conditions. Both of samples have shown high transmission coefficient in the visible and infrared wavelength range with sharp absorption edge around 380 nm which closely corresponds to the intrinsic band-gap of ZnO (3.2 eV). Orientation and crystallites size were remarkably modified by deposition temperature and indium doping. Des couches minces de ZnO, hautement transparentes, non dopées et dopées à l'indium ont été élaborées sur un substrat en verre par le procédé de pulvérisation chimique réactive spray. Les conditions de préparation ont été optimisées pour l'obtention de couches reproductibles, de bonne qualité et ayant les propriétés requises. Des films polycristallins, présentant une structure hexagonale de type Wurtzite, ont été aisément obtenus dans les conditions optimales de pulvérisation. Tous les échantillons ont présenté un coefficient de transmission élevé dans le domaine du visible et du proche infrarouge, avec une absorption brutale au voisinage de 380 nm, correspondant au gap optique du ZnO (3,2 eV). L'orientation et la taille des cristallites ont été remarquablement modifiées par la température du dépôt et par le dopage à l'indium.

Zn nanoparticle formation in FIB irradiated single crystal ZnO

Science.gov (United States)

Pea, M.; Barucca, G.; Notargiacomo, A.; Di Gaspare, L.; Mussi, V.

2018-03-01

We report on the formation of Zn nanoparticles induced by Ga+ focused ion beam on single crystal ZnO. The irradiated materials have been studied as a function of the ion dose by means of atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, evidencing the presence of Zn nanoparticles with size of the order of 5-30 nm. The nanoparticles are found to be embedded in a shallow amorphous ZnO matrix few tens of nanometers thick. Results reveal that ion beam induced Zn clustering occurs producing crystalline particles with the same hexagonal lattice and orientation of the substrate, and could explain the alteration of optical and electrical properties found for FIB fabricated and processed ZnO based devices.

Growth of novel ZnO nanostructures by soft chemical routes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saravana Kumar, R.; Sathyamoorthy, R.; Matheswaran, P.; Sudhagar, P.; Kang, Yong Soo

2010-01-01

Research highlights: Fabrication of diverse ZnO nanostructures through soft chemical routes is both fundamentally interesting and technologically important. Accordingly, in the present work novel ZnO nanostructures namely nanorods/nanospines were grown on glass substrate by integrating SILAR and CBD techniques. This simple approach not only would lead to the development of an effective and commercial growth process for diverse ZnO nanostructures, but also lead to the large-scale preparation of other nanomaterials for many important applications in nanotechnology. - Abstract: We explore a facile route to prepare one-dimensional (1D) ZnO nanostructures including nanorods/nanospines on glass substrates by integrating inexpensive successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) and chemical bath deposition (CBD) methods. The effect of seed layer on the growth and morphology of the ZnO nanostructures was investigated. Accordingly, the surface modification of the seed layer prepared by SILAR was carried out by employing two different drying processes namely (a) allowing the hot substrate to cool for certain period of time before immersing in the ion-exchange bath, and (b) immediate immersion of the hot substrate into the ion-exchange bath. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the ZnO films revealed hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferential orientation along c-axis, while the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the dart-like and spherical shaped ZnO seed particles. ZnO nanostructures grown by CBD over the dart-like and spherical shaped ZnO seed particles resulted in the hierarchical and aligned ZnO nanospines/nanorods respectively. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) study exhibited highly intense UV emission with weak visible emissions in the visible region. The growth mechanism and the role of seed layer morphology on the formation of ZnO nanostructures were discussed.

Growth of novel ZnO nanostructures by soft chemical routes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saravana Kumar, R. [PG and Research, Department of Physics, Kongunadu Arts and Science College (Autonomous), Coimbatore 641 029, Tamil Nadu (India); Sathyamoorthy, R., E-mail: rsathya59@gmail.co [PG and Research, Department of Physics, Kongunadu Arts and Science College (Autonomous), Coimbatore 641 029, Tamil Nadu (India); Matheswaran, P. [PG and Research, Department of Physics, Kongunadu Arts and Science College (Autonomous), Coimbatore 641 029, Tamil Nadu (India); Sudhagar, P.; Kang, Yong Soo [Energy Materials Laboratory, WCU Program Department of Energy Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-09-10

Research highlights: Fabrication of diverse ZnO nanostructures through soft chemical routes is both fundamentally interesting and technologically important. Accordingly, in the present work novel ZnO nanostructures namely nanorods/nanospines were grown on glass substrate by integrating SILAR and CBD techniques. This simple approach not only would lead to the development of an effective and commercial growth process for diverse ZnO nanostructures, but also lead to the large-scale preparation of other nanomaterials for many important applications in nanotechnology. - Abstract: We explore a facile route to prepare one-dimensional (1D) ZnO nanostructures including nanorods/nanospines on glass substrates by integrating inexpensive successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) and chemical bath deposition (CBD) methods. The effect of seed layer on the growth and morphology of the ZnO nanostructures was investigated. Accordingly, the surface modification of the seed layer prepared by SILAR was carried out by employing two different drying processes namely (a) allowing the hot substrate to cool for certain period of time before immersing in the ion-exchange bath, and (b) immediate immersion of the hot substrate into the ion-exchange bath. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the ZnO films revealed hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferential orientation along c-axis, while the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the dart-like and spherical shaped ZnO seed particles. ZnO nanostructures grown by CBD over the dart-like and spherical shaped ZnO seed particles resulted in the hierarchical and aligned ZnO nanospines/nanorods respectively. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) study exhibited highly intense UV emission with weak visible emissions in the visible region. The growth mechanism and the role of seed layer morphology on the formation of ZnO nanostructures were discussed.

Nitrogen binding behavior in ZnO films with time-resolved cathodoluminescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mei, Y.F.; Fu, Ricky K.Y.; Siu, G.G.; Wong, K.W.; Chu, Paul K.; Wang, R.S.; Ong, H.C.

2006-01-01

ZnO film with (1 0 0) orientation was produced on silicon substrate and doped with nitrogen using plasma immersion ion implantation. The effects due to N doping were investigated using cathodoluminescence (CL). In the heavily nitrogen-doped ZnO film, the intensity of ultraviolet (UV) band decreases and that of the visible band increases as a function of the electron bombardment cycle i.e. time. Based on the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, the unstable Zn-N bond is responsible for the CL behavior and the experimental results agree well with the first-principle calculation. Our work is helpful to our understanding of the role of p-type dopants in ZnO

Direct Heteroepitaxial Growth of ZnO over GaN Crystal in Aqueous Solution

Science.gov (United States)

Hamada, Takahiro; Ito, Akihiro; Nagao, Nobuaki; Suzuki, Nobuyasu; Fujii, Eiji; Tsujimura, Ayumu

2013-04-01

We report on the structural and electrical properties of ZnO films grown on surface-treated GaN/Al2O3 substrates by chemical bath deposition. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the ZnO films had a single-crystalline wurtzite structure with c-axis orientation. The ZnO film exhibited n-type conduction with a carrier concentration of 6.9 ×1018 cm-3, an electron mobility of 41 cm2/(V.s), and a resistivity of 2.2 ×10-2 Ω.cm. A low specific contact resistivity of 4.3 ×10-3 Ω.cm2 was obtained at the ZnO/n-GaN interface. Additionally, the ZnO film exhibited high transparency in the visible and infrared region.

ZnO based nanowires grown by chemical vapour deposition for selective hydrogenation of acetylene alcohols

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Protasova, L.N.; Rebrov, E.; Choy, K.L.; Pung, S.Y.; Engels, V.; Cabaj, M.; Wheatley, A.E.H.; Schouten, J.C.

2011-01-01

Vertically aligned ZnO nanowires (NWs) with a length of 1.5–10 µm and a mean diameter of ca. 150 nm were grown by chemical vapour deposition onto a c-oriented ZnO seed layer which was deposited by atomic layer deposition on Si substrates. The substrates were then spin-coated with an ethanol solution

Fabrication of ZnO Nanostructures with Self-cleaning Functionality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kok, K.Y.; Ng, I.K.; Nur Ubaidah Saidin; Bustaman, F.K.A.

2011-01-01

The science of biomimicry has served as a fusion point between nature and technology where one could adopt natures best solution for humans use. Lotus leaf surface, for example, possesses self cleaning capability due to its unique physical and chemical properties. In this work, we aimed to mimic these features on glass surface using ZnO nanostructures to achieve the self-cleaning functionality. A series of ZnO films were electrochemically deposited on indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) conducting glasses from different aqueous electrolytes at systematically varied deposition potentials and electrolyte conditions. The surface morphology, density, orientation and aspect ratio of the ZnO micro/nanostructures obtained were characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Results from these studies show that lower electrolyte concentrations tend to favor one-dimensional growth of ZnO nanostructures that self-assembled into nano flowers at higher deposition temperatures. This hierarchical micro/nano-structured ZnO-modified surface exhibits super hydrophobicity with water contact angle as high as 170 degree. (author)

Transition metal implanted ZnO. A correlation between structure and magnetism

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Shengqiang

2008-07-01

Nowadays ferromagnetism is often found in potential diluted magnetic semiconductor systems. However, many authors question the origin of this ferromagnetism, i.e. if the observed ferromagnetism stems from ferromagnetic precipitates rather than from carriermediated magnetic coupling of ionic impurities, as required for a diluted magnetic semiconductor. In this thesis, this question will be answered for transition-metal implanted ZnO single crystals. Magnetic secondary phases, namely metallic Fe, Co and Ni nanocrystals, are formed inside ZnO. They are - although difficult to detect by common approaches of structural analysis - responsible for the observed ferromagnetism. Particularly Co and Ni nanocrystals are crystallographically oriented with respect to the ZnO matrix. Their structure phase transformation and corresponding evolution of magnetic properties upon annealing have been established. Finally, an approach, pre-annealing ZnO crystals at high temperature before implantation, has been demonstrated to sufficiently suppress the formation of metallic secondary phases. (orig.)

Characteristics of strontium-doped ZnO films on love wave filter applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Water, Walter; Yan, Y.-S.

2007-01-01

The effect of dopant concentrations in strontium-doped ZnO films on Love wave filter characteristics was investigated. Strontium-doped ZnO films with a c-axis preferred orientation were grown on ST-cut quartz by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The crystalline structures and surface morphology of films were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The electromechanical coupling coefficient, dielectric constant, and temperature coefficient of frequency of filters were then determined using a network analyzer. A uniform crystalline structure and smooth surface of the ZnO films were obtained at the 1-2 mol% strontium dopant level. The electromechanical coupling coefficient of the 1 mol% strontium-doped ZnO film reaches a maximum of 0.61%, and the temperature coefficient of frequency declines to + 12.87 ppm/deg. C at a 1.5 mol% strontium dopant level

Wetting morphologies on randomly oriented fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauret, Alban; Boulogne, François; Soh, Beatrice; Dressaire, Emilie; Stone, Howard A

2015-06-01

We characterize the different morphologies adopted by a drop of liquid placed on two randomly oriented fibers, which is a first step toward understanding the wetting of fibrous networks. The present work reviews previous modeling for parallel and touching crossed fibers and extends it to an arbitrary orientation of the fibers characterized by the tilting angle and the minimum spacing distance. Depending on the volume of liquid, the spacing distance between fibers and the angle between the fibers, we highlight that the liquid can adopt three different equilibrium morphologies: 1) a column morphology in which the liquid spreads between the fibers, 2) a mixed morphology where a drop grows at one end of the column or 3) a single drop located at the node. We capture the different morphologies observed using an analytical model that predicts the equilibrium configuration of the liquid based on the geometry of the fibers and the volume of liquid.

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.

Wafer-Scale High-Throughput Ordered Growth of Vertically Aligned ZnO Nanowire Arrays

KAUST Repository

Wei, Yaguang

2010-09-08

This article presents an effective approach for patterned growth of vertically aligned ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays with high throughput and low cost at wafer scale without using cleanroom technology. Periodic hole patterns are generated using laser interference lithography on substrates coated with the photoresist SU-8. ZnO NWs are selectively grown through the holes via a low-temperature hydrothermal method without using a catalyst and with a superior control over orientation, location/density, and as-synthesized morphology. The development of textured ZnO seed layers for replacing single crystalline GaN and ZnO substrates extends the large-scale fabrication of vertically aligned ZnO NW arrays on substrates of other materials, such as polymers, Si, and glass. This combined approach demonstrates a novel method of manufacturing large-scale patterned one-dimensional nanostructures on various substrates for applications in energy harvesting, sensing, optoelectronics, and electronic devices. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Improvement of physical properties of ZnO thin films by tellurium doping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sönmezoğlu, Savaş, E-mail: svssonmezoglu@kmu.edu.tr; Akman, Erdi

2014-11-01

Highlights: • We report the synthesis of tellurium-doped zinc oxide (Te–ZnO) thin films using sol–gel method. • Highly c-axis oriented Te-doped ZnO thin films were grown on FTO glasses as substrate. • 1.5% Te-doping ratio could improve the physical properties of ZnO thin films. - Abstract: This investigation addressed the structural, optical and morphological properties of tellurium incorporated zinc oxide (Te–ZnO) thin films. The obtained results indicated that Te-doped ZnO thin films exhibit an enhancement of band gap energy and crystallinity compared with non-doped films. The optical transmission spectra revealed a shift in the absorption edge toward lower wavelengths. X-ray diffraction measurement demonstrated that the film was crystallized in the hexagonal (wurtzite) phase and presented a preferential orientation along the c-axis. The XRD obtained patterns indicate that the crystallite size of the thin films, ranging from 23.9 to 49.1 nm, changed with the Te doping level. The scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy results demonstrated that the grain size and surface roughness of the thin films increased as the Te concentration increased. Most significantly, we demonstrate that it is possible to control the structural, optical and morphological properties of ZnO thin films with the isoelectronic Te-incorporation level.

A novel low-temperature chemical solution route for straight and dendrite-like ZnO nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Hui; Du Ning; Wu Jianbo; Ma, Xiangyang; Yang Deren; Zhang Xiaobin; Yang Zhiqing

2007-01-01

The straight and dendrite-like growths of ZnO have been completely and simply controlled by the status of ZnO seed instead of surfactant, template, oriented attachment, and ZnO buffer layer on the substrate in the chemical reaction synthesis of ZnO nanostructures. The monodisperse ZnO seeds, which are prepared by in situ quickly injecting the cool mixed zinc acetate and potassium hydrate ethanol solution into the hot matrix aqueous solution of zinc nitrate hydrate and diethylenetriamine at 95 deg. C, improve the straight growth and lots of uniform, straight, and single-crystalline ZnO nanorods with about 20-30 nm in diameter and 300 nm in length are achieved. While, the aggregated ZnO seeds, which are prepared by dropwise adding potassium hydrate ethanol solution into zinc acetate ethanol solution at 60 deg. C for 3 h, result in the dendrite-like growth and the bur-like ZnO nanostructures consisting of hundreds of nanorods with about 30-50 nm in diameter and several micrometers in length are formed. Furthermore, the approach presented here provides a simple, low-cost, environmental-friendly and high efficiency route to synthesize the high quality ZnO nanorods and bur-like ZnO nanostructures

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.

Tailoring the morphology of electrodeposited ZnO and its photoluminescence properties

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, H.; Mollar, M.; Marí, B.

2011-01-01

High density ZnO columnar films with well-aligned and well-perpendicular to the surface of film were electrodeposited on ITO substrates by using an electrolyte consisting of a mix of water and organic solvent namely dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The effect of mixing ratio of water and DMSO on the growth of film has been examined critically. SEM images have shown that well-oriented ZnO quasi-nano columns were formed perpendicular to the substrate. At the same time we found there are three kinds of competitions for growth of ZnO crystalmorphology i.e. column, rod and needle like. The needle like morphology has high density with well-aligned structure. The reasons for the growth of films of different morphology and their photoluminescence (PL) properties have been presented and discussed. It has been found that the three-dimensional (3D) ordered ZnO structure exhibits high intensity PL band which may shift their position and intensity with the varying conditions of depositions.

Effect of different solutions on electrochemical deposition of ZnO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asil, H.; Chinar, K.; Gur, E.; Tuzemen, S.

2010-01-01

ZnO thin films were grown by electrochemical deposition (ECD) onto indium tin oxide using different compounds such as Zn(NO 3 ) 2 , Zn(C 2 H 3 O 2 ) 2 , ZnCl 2 , Zn(ClO 4 ) 2 and different solvents such as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and 18 M deionized water. Furthermore, solutions were prepared using different electrolytes and concentrations in order to determine the optimum deposition parameters of ZnO. All the grown films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, optical absorption and photoluminescence measurement techniques. It is indicated that films grown by using Zn(ClO 4 ) 2 show high crystallinity and optical quality. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed that ZnO thin films which were grown electrochemically in a non-aqueous solution (DMSO) prepared by Zn(ClO 4 ) 2 have highly c-axis preferential orientation. PL measurements showed that ZnO thin films grown in Zn(ClO 4 ) 2 indicates high quality emission characteristics compared to the thin films grown by other solutions

Hydrogen in ZnO - a challenge to experiments and theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brauer, Gerhard [Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Dresden (Germany); Kuriplach, Jan [Charles University, Prague (Czech Republic)

2008-07-01

Positron lifetime spectroscopy, nuclear reaction analysis and X-ray diffraction have been combined to investigate various, nominally undoped, ZnO single crystals. Hydrogen is detected in all crystals in a bound state (0.3-0.8 at.-%), and in some cases also in an unbound state (0.7-1.9 at.-%), which can be removed by annealing. A single positron lifetime of 180-182 ps and 165-167 ps is measured for all hydrothermally and melt grown crystals, respectively. These lifetimes are attributed to zinc vacancy-hydrogen complexes, as deduced from ab initio studies of various vacancy-hydrogen defect configurations in ZnO and related positron calculations. In addition, various defect studies of hydrothermally grown (0001) oriented ZnO crystals electrochemically doped with hydrogen are presented. It is demonstrated that a very high amount of hydrogen (up to {proportional_to}30 at.-%) can be introduced into the crystals by electrochemical doping. It is found that more than half of this amount is chemically bound, i.e. incorporated into the ZnO crystal lattice.

Propeller-Shaped ZnO Nano structures Obtained by Chemical Vapor Deposition: Photoluminescence and Photo catalytic Properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, S.L.; Zhu, H.W.; Li, P.G.; Tang, W.H.

2012-01-01

Propeller-shaped and flower-shaped ZnO nano structures on Si substrates were prepared by a one-step chemical vapor deposition technique. The propeller-shaped ZnO nano structure consists of a set of axial nano rod (50 nm in tip, 80 nm in root and 1μm in length), surrounded by radial-oriented nano ribbons (20-30 nm in thickness and 1.5μm in length). The morphology of flower-shaped ZnO nano structure is similar to that of propeller-shaped ZnO, except the shape of leaves. These nano rods leaves (30?nm in diameter and 1-1.5μm in length) are aligned in a radial way and pointed toward a common center. The flower-shaped ZnO nano structures show sharper and stronger UV emission at 378 nm than the propeller-shaped ZnO, indicating a better crystal quality and fewer structural defects in flower-shaped ZnO. In comparison with flower-shaped ZnO nano structures, the propeller-shaped ZnO nano structures exhibited a higher photo catalytic property for the photo catalytic degradation of Rhodamine B under UV-light illumination.

Structural and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures electrochemically synthesized on AZO/Ag/AZO-multilayer-film-coated polyethersulfone substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Dohyun; Yoo, Chanho; No, Youngsoo; Kim, Suyoun; Kim, Taewhan; Cho, Woonjo; Kim, Jinyoung

2012-01-01

ZnO nanostructures were formed on Al-doped ZnO (AZO)/Ag/AZO-multilayer-film-coated flexible polyethersulfone (PES) substrates at low temperature by using an electrochemical deposition method. The resistivity of the AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films decreased with increasing thickness of the Ag film. X-ray diffraction patterns for the ZnO nanostructures showed that the crystal structure of the ZnO was hexagonal wurtzite and that the orientation was along the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the ZnO nanostructures grown at current densities of - 1.0 and - 1.5 mA/cm 2 were ZnO nanorods with diameters of 150 nm and ZnO nanoflowers with a planar dimension, respectively. Photoluminescence spectra showed that the band-edge emission peak of the ZnO nanostructures dominantly appeared in the ultraviolet region. These results showed that ZnO nanorods and nanoflowers with high quality were synthesized on AZO/Ag/AZO-multilayer-film-coated PES substrates.

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.

Properties of antimony doped ZnO thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sadananda Kumar, N., E-mail: sadanthara@gmail.com; Bangera, Kasturi V.; Shivakumar, G. K. [National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, Thin Films Laboratory, Department of Physics (India)

2015-07-15

Antimony (Sb) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited on the glass substrate at 450°C using spray pyrolysis technique. Effect of Sb doping on surface morphology structural, optical and electrical properties were studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that both the undoped and doped ZnO thin films are polycrystalline in nature with (101) preferred orientation. SEM analysis showed a change in surface morphology of Sb doped ZnO thin films. Doping results in a marked increase in conductivity without affecting the transmittance of the films. ZnO films prepared with 3 at % Sb shows the lowest resistivity of 0.185 Ohm cm with a Hall mobility of 54.05 cm{sup 2} V{sup –1} s{sup –1}, and a hole concentration of 6.25 × 10{sup 17} cm{sup –3}.

Influence of surface defects in ZnO thin films on its biosensing response characteristic

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saha, Shibu; Gupta, Vinay [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 (India)

2011-09-15

Highly c-axis oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering under varying processing pressure (20-50 mT) in a reactive gas mixture of argon and oxygen were studied for biosensing application. The as-deposited ZnO thin films were in a state of compressive stress having defects related to interstitial Zn and antisite oxygen. Glucose oxidase has been chosen as the model enzyme in the present study and was immobilized on the surface of ZnO thin films deposited on indium tin oxide coated Corning Glass substrate. The studies reveal a correlation between the biosensing characteristic and the presence of defects in the ZnO films. The ZnO films deposited under high pressure (50 mT) are found to be more sensitive for biosensing application due to availability of more surface area for effective immobilization of biomolecules and exhibits a suitable microenvironment with good electron transfer characteristic. The obtained results highlight the importance of desired microstate besides availability of suitable native defects in the ZnO thin film for exhibiting enhanced biosensing response.

Influence of surface defects in ZnO thin films on its biosensing response characteristic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saha, Shibu; Gupta, Vinay

2011-01-01

Highly c-axis oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering under varying processing pressure (20-50 mT) in a reactive gas mixture of argon and oxygen were studied for biosensing application. The as-deposited ZnO thin films were in a state of compressive stress having defects related to interstitial Zn and antisite oxygen. Glucose oxidase has been chosen as the model enzyme in the present study and was immobilized on the surface of ZnO thin films deposited on indium tin oxide coated Corning Glass substrate. The studies reveal a correlation between the biosensing characteristic and the presence of defects in the ZnO films. The ZnO films deposited under high pressure (50 mT) are found to be more sensitive for biosensing application due to availability of more surface area for effective immobilization of biomolecules and exhibits a suitable microenvironment with good electron transfer characteristic. The obtained results highlight the importance of desired microstate besides availability of suitable native defects in the ZnO thin film for exhibiting enhanced biosensing response.

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.

Heavy lithium-doped ZnO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

1. Introduction. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a semiconductor with a wide and .... tal structure with preferred orientation along (0 0 2). ... This shift to higher angles could be attributed to residual ... segregated at the grain boundaries and they suppress the.

Mn-doped ZnO nanocrystals synthesized by sonochemical method: Structural, photoluminescence, and magnetic properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Othman, A.A., E-mail: aaelho@yahoo.com [Assiut University, Faculty of Science, Department of Physics, Assiut 71516 (Egypt); Osman, M.A. [Assiut University, Faculty of Science, Department of Physics, Assiut 71516 (Egypt); Ibrahim, E.M.M. [Sohag University, Faculty of Science, Department of Physics, Sohag 82524 (Egypt); Ali, Manar A.; Abd-Elrahim, A.G. [Assiut University, Faculty of Science, Department of Physics, Assiut 71516 (Egypt)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • Mn-doped ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by the sonochemical method. • Structural, morphological, optical, photoluminescence and magnetic properties were investigated. • Mn-doped ZnO nanostructures reveal a blue shift of the optical band gap. • Photoluminescence spectra of Mn-doped ZnO nanostructures show quenching in the emission intensity. • Mn-doped ZnO nanostructures exhibit ferromagnetic ordering at room temperature. - Abstract: This work reports the synthesis of Mn-doped ZnO nanostructures using ice-bath assisted sonochemical technique. The impact of Mn-doping on structural, morphological, optical, and magnetic properties of ZnO nanostructures is studied. The morphological study shows that the lower doped samples possess mixtures of nanosheets and nanorods while the increase in Mn content leads to improvement of an anisotropic growth in a preferable orientation to form well-defined edge rods at Mn content of 0.04. UV–vis absorption spectra show that the exciton peak in the UV region is blue shifted due to Mn incorporation into the ZnO lattice. Doping ZnO with Mn ions leads to a reduction in the PL intensity due to a creation of more non-radiative recombination centers. The magnetic measurements show that the Mn-doped ZnO nanostructures exhibit ferromagnetic ordering at room temperature, as well as variation of the Mn content can significantly affect the ferromagnetic behavior of the samples.

Photoluminescence of ZnO thin films deposited at various substrate temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kao, Kuo-Sheng; Shih, Wei-Che; Ye, Wei-Tsuen; Cheng, Da-Long

2016-01-01

This study investigated surface acoustic wave devices with an Al/ZnO/Si structure for use in ultraviolet sensors. ZnO thin films were fabricated using a reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering system. The substrate temperature of ZnO thin films can be varied to obtain highly crystalline properties. The surface morphologies and c-axis preferred orientation of the ZnO thin films were determined using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. In addition, bright-field images of ZnO crystallization were investigated using a transmission electron microscope. From photoluminescence analysis, four peaks were obtained at 377.8, 384.9, 391.4, and 403.4 nm. Interdigital transducers of an aluminum electrode were fabricated on the ZnO/Si structure by using a direct current sputtering system and photolithography, combined with the lift-off method, thereby obtaining a surface acoustic wave device. Finally, frequency responses were measured using a network analyzer, and an illuminating test was adopted for the ultraviolet sensor, using a wavelength of 355 nm from a light-emitting diode. The sensitivities of the ultraviolet sensor were also discussed. - Highlights: • The ZnO/Si SAW devices exhibit the Rayleigh and Sezawa modes. • The crystalline of ZnO affects the EHP recombination and generation. • The PL spectrum of ZnO shows Gaussian fitting distributions. • The CTD_U_V is influenced by SAW types and ZnO film characteristics.

Photoluminescence of ZnO thin films deposited at various substrate temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kao, Kuo-Sheng [Department of Computer and Communication, SHU-TE University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China); Shih, Wei-Che [Department of Electrical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China); Ye, Wei-Tsuen [Department of Computer and Communication, SHU-TE University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China); Cheng, Da-Long, E-mail: dlcheng@stu.edu.tw [Department of Computer and Communication, SHU-TE University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China)

2016-04-30

This study investigated surface acoustic wave devices with an Al/ZnO/Si structure for use in ultraviolet sensors. ZnO thin films were fabricated using a reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering system. The substrate temperature of ZnO thin films can be varied to obtain highly crystalline properties. The surface morphologies and c-axis preferred orientation of the ZnO thin films were determined using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. In addition, bright-field images of ZnO crystallization were investigated using a transmission electron microscope. From photoluminescence analysis, four peaks were obtained at 377.8, 384.9, 391.4, and 403.4 nm. Interdigital transducers of an aluminum electrode were fabricated on the ZnO/Si structure by using a direct current sputtering system and photolithography, combined with the lift-off method, thereby obtaining a surface acoustic wave device. Finally, frequency responses were measured using a network analyzer, and an illuminating test was adopted for the ultraviolet sensor, using a wavelength of 355 nm from a light-emitting diode. The sensitivities of the ultraviolet sensor were also discussed. - Highlights: • The ZnO/Si SAW devices exhibit the Rayleigh and Sezawa modes. • The crystalline of ZnO affects the EHP recombination and generation. • The PL spectrum of ZnO shows Gaussian fitting distributions. • The CTD{sub UV} is influenced by SAW types and ZnO film characteristics.

Soft-solution route to ZnO nanowall array with low threshold power density

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Eue-Soon; Chen, Xiaoyuan; Won, Jung-Hee; Chung, Jae-Hun; Jang, Du-Jeon; Kim, Young-Woon; Choy, Jin-Ho

2010-07-01

ZnO nanowall array (ZNWA) has been directionally grown on the buffer layer of ZnO nanoparticles dip-coated on Si-wafer under a soft solution process. Nanowalls on substrate are in most suitable shape and orientation not only as an optical trap but also as an optical waveguide due to their unique growth habit, V[011¯0]≫V[0001]≈V[0001¯]. Consequently, the stimulated emission at 384 nm through nanowalls is generated by the threshold power density of only 25 kW/cm2. Such UV lasing properties are superior to those of previously reported ZnO nanorod arrays. Moreover, there is no green (defect) emission due to the mild procedure to synthesize ZNWA.

Photosensitivity of nanocrystalline ZnO films grown by PLD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayouchi, R.; Bentes, L.; Casteleiro, C.; Conde, O.; Marques, C.P.; Alves, E.; Moutinho, A.M.C.; Marques, H.P.; Teodoro, O.; Schwarz, R.

2009-01-01

We have studied the properties of ZnO thin films grown by laser ablation of ZnO targets on (0 0 0 1) sapphire (Al 2 O 3 ), under substrate temperatures around 400 deg. C. The films were characterized by different methods including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). XPS analysis revealed that the films are oxygen deficient, and XRD analysis with θ-2θ scans and rocking curves indicate that the ZnO thin films are highly c-axis oriented. All the films are ultraviolet (UV) sensitive. Sensitivity is maximum for the films deposited at lower temperature. The films deposited at higher temperatures show crystallite sizes of typically 500 nm, a high dark current and minimum photoresponse. In all films we observe persistent photoconductivity decay. More densely packed crystallites and a faster decay in photocurrent is observed for films deposited at lower temperature

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.

DFT calculations on electronic properties of ZnO thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cordeiro, J.M.; Reynoso, V.C.; Azevedo, D.H.M. [Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), SP (Brazil)

2016-07-01

Full text: Introduction - Thin films of Zinc oxide (ZnO) has a wide range of technological applications, as transparent conducting electrodes in solar cells, flat panel displays, and sensors, for example. More recently applications in optoelectronics, like light emitter diodes and laser diodes, due to its large band gap, are been explored. Studies of ZnO thin films are important for these applications. Methodology - In this study thin films of ZnO have been deposited by spray pyrolysis on glass substrate. The films were characterized by XRD and UV-VIS techniques and the electronic properties as a function of the film thickness have been investigated by DFT calculations with B3LYP hybrid potential implemented in the CRYSTAL09 code. Results - The diffractograms obtained for the ZnO thin films as a function of the thickness are shown. The films exhibit a hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferred c-axis orientation in (002) direction of ZnO crystal. A quantum mechanical approach based on the periodic Density Functional Theory (DFT), with B3LYP hybrid potential was used to investigate the electronic structure of the films as a function of the thickness. The CRYSTAL09 code has been used for the calculations on the wurtzite hexagonal structure of ZnO - spatial group P63mc. For optimizing the geometry of the pure ZnO crystal, the experimental lattice parameters were got as follows: a= 0.325 nm, b= 0.325 nm, c= 0.5207 nm with c/a= 1.602. Considering to the calculations of the band structure, it is suggested that the semiconducting properties of ZnO arises from the overlapping of the 4s orbital of the conducting band of Zn and the 2p orbital of the top of valence band of O. Conclusions - The structure of ZnO thin film deposited on glass substrate present preferential orientation in (002) direction. Variation in the optical properties as a function of the film thickness was observed. The band gap energy was determined from optical analysis to be ∼ 3.27 eV. The refractive

Preparation of a Non-Polar ZnO Film on a Single-Crystal NdGaO3 Substrate by the RF Sputtering Method

Science.gov (United States)

Kashiwaba, Y.; Tanaka, Y.; Sakuma, M.; Abe, T.; Imai, Y.; Kawasaki, K.; Nakagawa, A.; Niikura, I.; Kashiwaba, Y.; Osada, H.

2018-04-01

Preparation of non-polar ZnO ( 11\\overline{2} 0 ) films on single-crystal NdGaO3 (NGO) (001) substrates was successfully achieved by the radio frequency (RF) sputtering method. Orientation, deposition rate, and surface roughness of ZnO films strongly depend on the working pressure. Characteristics of ZnO films deposited on single-crystal NGO (001) substrates were compared with those of ZnO films deposited on single-crystal sapphire ( 01\\overline{1} 2 ) substrates. An x-ray diffraction peak of the ZnO ( 11\\overline{2} 0 ) plane was observed on ZnO films deposited on single-crystal NGO (001) substrates under working pressure of less than 0.5 Pa. On the other hand, uniaxially oriented ZnO ( 11\\overline{2} 0 ) films on single-crystal sapphire ( 01\\overline{1} 2 ) substrates were observed under working pressure of 0.1 Pa. The mechanism by which the diffraction angle of the ZnO ( 11\\overline{2} 0 ) plane on single-crystal NGO (001) substrates was shifted is discussed on the basis of anisotropic stress of lattice mismatch. The deposition rate of ZnO films decreased with an increase in working pressure, and the deposition rate on single-crystal NGO (001) substrates was larger than that on single-crystal sapphire ( 01\\overline{1} 2 ) substrates. Root mean square (RMS) roughness of ZnO films increased with an increase in working pressure, and RMS roughness of ZnO films on single-crystal NGO (001) substrates was smaller than that of ZnO films on single-crystal sapphire ( 01\\overline{1} 2 ) substrates even though the film thickness on single-crystal NGO (001) substrates was greater than that on sapphire substrates. It is thought that a single-crystal NGO (001) substrate is useful for deposition of non-polar ZnO ( 11\\overline{2} 0 ) films.

Effects of Post Heat Treatments on ZnO Thin-Films Grown on Zn-coated Teflon Substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Ikhyun; Nam, Giwoong; Lee, Cheoleon; Kim, Dongwhan; Choi, Hyonkwang; Kim, Yangsoo; Leem, Jae-Young [Inje University, Gimhae (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jin Soo [Chonbuk National University, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jong Su [Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan (Korea, Republic of); Son, Jeong-Sik [Kyungwoon University, Gumi (Korea, Republic of)

2015-06-15

ZnO thin films were first grown on Zn-coated Teflon substrates using a spin-coating method, with various post-heating temperatures. The structural and optical properties of the ZnO thin films were then investigated using field-effect scanning-electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The surface morphology of these ZnO thin films exhibited dendritic structures. With increasing post-heating temperature, all samples preferentially exhibited preferential c-axis orientation and increased residual tensile stress. All of the films exhibited preferential c-axis orientation, and the residual tensile stress of those increased with increasing post-heating temperature. The near-band-edge emission (NBE) peaks were red-shifted after post-heating treatment at 400 ℃. The intensity of the deep-level emission (DLE) peaks gradually decreased with increasing post- heating temperature. Moreover, the narrowest ‘full width at half maximum’ (FWHM) and the highest intensity ratio of the NBE to the DLE for thin films, were observed after post-heating at 400 ℃. The ZnO thin films fabricated with the 400 ℃ post-heating process provided the highest crystallinity and optical properties.

Properties of In–N codoped p-type ZnO nanorods grown through a two-step chemical route

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duta, M.; Mihaiu, S.; Munteanu, C. [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Anastasescu, M., E-mail: manastasescu@icf.ro [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Osiceanu, P.; Marin, A.; Preda, S. [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Nicolescu, M., E-mail: mnicolescu2006@yahoo.com [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Modreanu, M. [Tyndall National Institute, University College, Cork (Ireland); Zaharescu, M.; Gartner, M. [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania)

2015-07-30

Highlights: • p-Type ZnO film codoped with In, N on glass substrate was obtained. • The films were prepared by sol–gel followed by hydrothermal method. • Influence of annealing regimes on opto-electrical properties was studied. • Thin films morphology consists of interconnected, randomly oriented nanorods. • 3.31 × 10{sup 17} cm{sup −3}carrier concentration and 85% transmission were obtained at 500 °C. - Abstract: By codoping with a donor–acceptor pair through a two-step chemical method we have succeed to obtain p-type ZnO thin films on glass. Firstly, a thin undoped ZnO seed layer was deposited by sol–gel method followed by the deposition of In–N codoped ZnO film obtained through the hydrothermal technique. The influence of post-deposition annealing temperature (100 °C, 300 °C and 500 °C) on the samples was investigated from a structural, chemical, morphological and optoelectrical point of view. X-ray diffractometry (XRD), infrared ellipsometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses have confirmed the codoped nature of the ZnO thin films. The XRD pattern analysis has established the films have wurtzite nanocrystalline structure, the crystallite sizes varying between 10 nm and 13 nm with the annealing temperature. Continuous and homogenous films with nanorods surface morphology has been obtained, as visualized by scanning electron microscopy measurements. Hall Effect measurements have established that all samples, regardless of annealing temperature, showed p-type conduction due to the successful incorporation of nitrogen in the film, with the highest carrier concentration registered at 500 °C. This is in good correlation with the nitrogen content in the films as revealed from XPS. In all samples, the XPS depth profiling has shown a nitrogen gradient with higher elemental concentration at the surface.

Characteristics of surface acoustic waves in (11\\bar 2 0)ZnO film/ R-sapphire substrate structures

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; Zhang, ShuYi; Xu, Jing; Xie, YingCai; Lan, XiaoDong

2018-02-01

(11\\bar 2 0)ZnO film/ R-sapphire substrate structure is promising for high frequency acoustic wave devices. The propagation characteristics of SAWs, including the Rayleigh waves along [0001] direction and Love waves along [1ī00] direction, are investigated by using 3 dimensional finite element method (3D-FEM). The phase velocity ( v p), electromechanical coupling coefficient ( k 2), temperature coefficient of frequency ( TCF) and reflection coefficient ( r) of Rayleigh wave and Love wave devices are theoretically analyzed. Furthermore, the influences of ZnO films with different crystal orientation on SAW properties are also investigated. The results show that the 1st Rayleigh wave has an exceedingly large k 2 of 4.95% in (90°, 90°, 0°) (11\\bar 2 0)ZnO film/ R-sapphire substrate associated with a phase velocity of 5300 m/s; and the 0th Love wave in (0°, 90°, 0°) (11\\bar 2 0)ZnO film/ R-sapphire substrate has a maximum k 2 of 3.86% associated with a phase velocity of 3400 m/s. And (11\\bar 2 0)ZnO film/ R-sapphire substrate structures can be used to design temperature-compensated and wide-band SAW devices. All of the results indicate that the performances of SAW devices can be optimized by suitably selecting ZnO films with different thickness and crystal orientations deposited on R-sapphire substrates.

Pre-patterned ZnO nanoribbons on soft substrates for stretchable energy harvesting applications

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Teng; Wang, Yong; Tang, Rui; Yu, Hongyu; Jiang, Hanqing

2013-05-01

Three pre-patterned ZnO nanoribbons in different configurations were studied in this paper, including (a) straight ZnO nanoribbons uniformly bonded on soft substrates that form sinusoidal buckles, (b) straight ZnO nanoribbons selectively bonded on soft substrates that form pop-up buckles, and (c) serpentine ZnO nanoribbons bonded on soft substrates via anchors. The nonlinear dynamics and random analysis were conducted to obtain the fundamental frequencies and to evaluate their performance in energy harvesting applications. We found that pop-up buckles and overhanging serpentine structures are suitable for audio frequency energy harvesting applications. Remarkably, almost unchanged fundamental natural frequency upon strain is achieved by properly patterning ZnO nanoribbons, which initiates a new and exciting direction of stretchable energy harvesting using nano-scale materials in audio frequency range.

Single ZnO nanowire-PZT optothermal field effect transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Chun-Yi; Lu, Meng-Lin; Chen, Ju-Ying; Chen, Yung-Ting; Chen, Yang-Fang; Shih, Wan Y; Shih, Wei-Heng

2012-09-07

A new type of pyroelectric field effect transistor based on a composite consisting of single zinc oxide nanowire and lead zirconate titanate (ZnO NW-PZT) has been developed. Under infrared (IR) laser illumination, the transconductance of the ZnO NW can be modulated by optothermal gating. The drain current can be increased or decreased by IR illumination depending on the polarization orientation of the Pb(Zr(0.3)Ti(0.7))O(3) (PZT) substrate. Furthermore, by combining the photocurrent behavior in the UV range and the optothermal gating effect in the IR range, the wide spectrum of response of current by light offers a variety of opportunities for nanoscale optoelectronic devices.

Quantitative and simultaneous analysis of the polarity of polycrystalline ZnO seed layers and related nanowires grown by wet chemical deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Guillemin, Sophie; Parize, Romain; Carabetta, Joseph; Cantelli, Valentina; Albertini, David; Gautier, Brice; Brémond, Georges; Fong, Dillon D.; Renevier, Hubert; Consonni, Vincent

2017-03-01

The polarity in ZnO nanowires is an important issue since it strongly affects surface configuration and reactivity, nucleation and growth, electro-optical properties, and nanoscale-engineering device performances. However, measuring statistically the polarity of ZnO nanowire arrays grown by chemical bath deposition and elucidating its correlation with the polarity of the underneath polycrystalline ZnO seed layer grown by the sol-gel process represents a major difficulty. To address that issue, we combine resonant x-ray diffraction (XRD) at Zn K-edge using synchrotron radiation with piezoelectric force microscopy and polarity-sensitive chemical etching to statistically investigate the polarity of more than 107 nano-objects both on the macroscopic and local microscopic scales, respectively. By using high temperature annealing under an argon atmosphere, it is shown that the compact, highly c-axis oriented ZnO seed layer is more than 92% Zn-polar and that only a few small O-polar ZnO grains with an amount less than 8% are formed. Correlatively, the resulting ZnO nanowires are also found to be Zn-polar, indicating that their polarity is transferred from the c-axis oriented ZnO grains acting as nucleation sites in the seed layer. These findings pave the way for the development of new strategies to form unipolar ZnO nanowire arrays as a requirement for a number of nanoscale-engineering devices like piezoelectric nanogenerators. They also highlight the great advantage of resonant XRD as a macroscopic, non-destructive method to simultaneously and statistically measure the polarity of ZnO nanowire arrays and of the underneath ZnO seed layer.

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

Rational growth of semi-polar ZnO texture on a glass substrate for optoelectronic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, B.; Ma, M. J.; Ye, Y. H.; Lu, J. G.; He, H. P.; Ye, Z. Z.

2013-02-01

Semi-polar ZnO films with surface texture were grown on glass substrates via pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) through Co-Ga co-doping. Oxygen pressure (PO2) was found to have significant effects on the structural and optical properties of the Zn(Co, Ga)O (ZCGO) films. A self-textured film with (1\\,0\\,\\bar {1}\\,1) preferred orientation (PO) was achieved by varying the growth conditions including a crucial narrow PO2 window and growth time. A possible mechanism underlying the PO evolution and the final texture of the films was proposed, which can be attributed to the collaboration of the doping effect and the PO2-dependent evolutionary selection process, in which certain grains can have increased vertical growth rate with respect to the substrate surface through interplane diffusion. Moreover, the growth of undoped pure ZnO films proceeded by using the (1\\,0\\,\\bar {1}\\,1) ZCGO film as a buffer layer. The ZnO layers retained a semi-polar characteristic with improved crystallinity and better optical quality. The epitaxy-like orientation of ZnO layers grown on (1\\,0\\,\\bar {1}\\,1) ZCGO films has applications in the development of semi-polar ZnO-based light-emitting diodes.

On-chip surface modified nanostructured ZnO as functional pH sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Qing; Liu, Wenpeng; Sun, Chongling; Zhang, Hao; Pang, Wei; Zhang, Daihua; Duan, Xuexin

2015-01-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures are promising candidates as electronic components for biological and chemical applications. In this study, ZnO ultra-fine nanowire (NW) and nanoflake (NF) hybrid structures have been prepared by Au-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) under ambient pressure. Their surface morphology, lattice structures, and crystal orientation were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two types of ZnO nanostructures were successfully integrated as gate electrodes in extended-gate field-effect transistors (EGFETs). Due to the amphoteric properties of ZnO, such devices function as pH sensors. We found that the ultra-fine NWs, which were more than 50 μm in length and less than 100 nm in diameter, performed better in the pH sensing process than NW–NF hybrid structures because of their higher surface-to-volume ratio, considering the Nernst equation and the Gouy–Chapman–Stern model. Furthermore, the surface coating of (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) protects ZnO nanostructures in both acidic and alkaline environments, thus enhancing the device stability and extending its pH sensing dynamic range. (paper)

Morphology engineering of ZnO nanostructures for high performance supercapacitors: enhanced electrochemistry of ZnO nanocones compared to ZnO nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

He, Xiaoli; Yoo, Joung Eun; Lee, Min Ho; Bae, Joonho

2017-06-01

In this work, the morphology of ZnO nanostructures is engineered to demonstrate enhanced supercapacitor characteristics of ZnO nanocones (NCs) compared to ZnO nanowires (NWs). ZnO NCs are obtained by chemically etching ZnO NWs. Electrochemical characteristics of ZnO NCs and NWs are extensively investigated to demonstrate morphology dependent capacitive performance of one dimensional ZnO nanostructures. Cyclic voltammetry measurements on these two kinds of electrodes in a three-electrode cell confirms that ZnO NCs exhibit a high specific capacitance of 378.5 F g-1 at a scan rate of 20 mV s-1, which is almost twice that of ZnO NWs (191.5 F g-1). The charge-discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements also clearly result in enhanced capacitive performance of NCs as evidenced by higher specific capacitances and lower internal resistance. Asymmetric supercapacitors are fabricated using activated carbon (AC) as the negative electrode and ZnO NWs and NCs as positive electrodes. The ZnO NC⫽AC can deliver a maximum specific capacitance of 126 F g-1 at a current density of 1.33 A g-1 with an energy density of 25.2 W h kg-1 at the power density of 896.44 W kg-1. In contrast, ZnO NW⫽AC displays 63% of the capacitance obtained from the ZnO NC⫽AC supercapacitor. The enhanced performance of NCs is attributed to the higher surface area of ZnO nanostructures after the morphology is altered from NWs to NCs.

Activation of room temperature ferromagnetism in ZnO films by surface functionalization with thiol and amine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jayalakshmi, G.; Gopalakrishnan, N.; Balasubramanian, T.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Room temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) is observed in surface functionalized ZnO films. ► Surface functionalization is a new approach to make ZnO as ferromagnetic. ► The RTFM is attributed to the interaction between the adsorbates and the surface of ZnO. ► The oxygen vacancies are passivated upon surface functionalization. - Abstract: In this paper, we report the activation of room temperature ferromagnetism in ZnO films by surface functionalization with thiol and amine. The pure and surface functionalized ZnO films have been examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements. XRD measurements show that all the films have single phase and (0 0 2) preferred orientation. The chemical bonding of ZnO with thiol and amine molecules has been confirmed by XPS measurements. The quenching of visible emission in PL spectra indicates that the surface defects are passivated by functionalization with thiol and amine. Surface functionalization of ZnO films with thiol and amine induces robust room temperature ferromagnetism in ZnO films as evidenced from VSM measurements. It is concluded that the observed ferromagnetic behavior in functionalized ZnO films is attributed to the different electronegativity of the atom in the thiol (or amine) and the surface of ZnO.

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

Aggregation and growth of ZnO quantum dots prepared from sol-gel chemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santilli, C.V.; Pulcinelli, S.H.; Caetano, B.L. [Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Briois, V.B [Synchrotron SOLEIL, Saint-Aubin (France)

2016-07-01

Full text: Herein we discuss in depth the mechanisms of growth control of ZnO quantum dots (Q-dot) prepared from the zinc oxy-acetate ethanolic solution by the addition of LiOH. Through in situ monitoring of Q-dot radii and of aggregation index calculated from UV-Vis absorption spectra and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) the aggregation and growth of ZnO nanocrystal was well described from two kinetic models: during the first step (t< 50 min) the structural evolution is controlled by the coalescence caused by the oriented attachment between the nanocrystal aggregates while at the advanced time (t> 50 min) the Q-dot coarsening follows the Ostwald ripening (OR) mechanism. From the higher oriented attachment efficiency observed here as compared with early reported synthesis using NaOH and KOH, we propose an universal mechanism to control coalescence and coarsening of ZnO nanocrystal provided from the shield caused by the adsorption of the alkali cation. From X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy results we demonstrate that this mechanism is also useful to prepare Q-dot powders with controlled size. (author)

Polystyrene sphere monolayer assisted electrochemical deposition of ZnO nanorods with controlable surface density

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramirez, D., E-mail: daniel.ramirez@ucv.c [Laboratorio de Electroquimica, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Valparaiso (Chile); Gomez, H. [Laboratorio de Electroquimica, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Valparaiso (Chile); Lincot, D. [Institute de Recherche et Developpement sur l' Energie Photovoltaique-IRDEP, 6 Quai Watier 78401, Chatou Cedex (France)

2010-02-15

In this paper we report the zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) growth by electrochemical deposition onto polycrystalline gold electrodes modified with assemblies of polystyrene sphere monolayers (PSSMs). Growth occurs through the interstitial spaces between the hexagonally close packed spheres. ZnO NRs nucleate in the region where three adjacent spheres leave a space, being able to grow and projected over the PSSMs. The nanorod surface density (N{sub NR}) shows a linear dependence with respect to a PS sphere diameter selected. XRD analysis shows these ZnO NRs are highly oriented along the (0 0 2) plane (c-axis). This open the possibility to have electronic devices with mechanically supported nanometric materials.

Morphological, Structural, and Electrical Characterization of Sol-Gel-Synthesized ZnO Nano rods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kashif, M.; Hashim, U.; Foo, K.L.; Ali, M.E.; Ali, M.E.; Ali, S.M.U.

2013-01-01

ZnO nano rods were grown on thermally oxidized p-type silicon substrate using sol-gel method. The SEM image revealed high-density, well-aligned, and perpendicular ZnO nano rods on the oxidized silicon substrate. The XRD profile confirmed the c-axis orientation of the nano rods. PL measurements showed the synthesized ZnO nano rods have strong ultraviolet (UV) emission. The electrical characterization was performed using interdigitated silver electrodes to investigate the stability in the current flow of the fabricated device under different ultraviolet (UV) exposure times. It was notified that a stable current flow was observed after 60 min of UV exposure. The determination of stable current flow after UV exposure is necessary for UV-based gas sensing and optoelectronic devices.

Photoconductive ZnO Films Printed on Flexible Substrates by Inkjet and Aerosol Jet Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Winarski, D. J.; Kreit, E.; Heckman, E. M.; Flesburg, E.; Haseman, M.; Aga, R. S.; Selim, F. A.

2018-02-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films have remarkable versatility in sensor applications. Here, we report simple ink synthesis and printing methods to deposit ZnO photodetectors on a variety of flexible and transparent substrates, including polyimide (Kapton), polyethylene terephthalate, cyclic olefin copolymer (TOPAS), and quartz. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the dependence of the film orientation on the substrate type and sintering method, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption measurements revealed a band edge near 380 nm. van der Pauw technique was used to measure the resistivity of undoped ZnO and indium/gallium-codoped ZnO (IGZO) films. IGZO films showed lower resistivity and larger average grain size compared with undoped ZnO films due to addition of In3+ and Ga3+, which act as donors. A 365-nm light-emitting diode was used to photoirradiate the films to study their photoconductive response as a function of light intensity at 300 K. The results revealed that ZnO films printed by aerosol jet and inkjet techniques exhibited five orders of magnitude photoconductivity, indicating that such films are viable options for use in flexible photodetectors.

Characterization of ZnO thin films grown on different p-Si substrate elaborated by solgel spin-coating method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chebil, W., E-mail: Chbil.widad@live.fr [Laboratoire Physico-chimie des Matériaux, Unité de Service Commun de Recherche “High resolution X-ray diffractometer”, Département de Physique, Université de Monastir, Faculté des Sciences de Monastir, Avenue de l’Environnement, 5019 Monastir (Tunisia); Fouzri, A. [Laboratoire Physico-chimie des Matériaux, Unité de Service Commun de Recherche “High resolution X-ray diffractometer”, Département de Physique, Université de Monastir, Faculté des Sciences de Monastir, Avenue de l’Environnement, 5019 Monastir (Tunisia); Institut Supérieur des Sciences Appliquées et de Technologie de Sousse, Université de Sousse (Tunisia); Fargi, A. [Laboratoire de Microélectronique et Instrumentation, Faculté des Sciences de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Avenue de l’environnement, 5019 Monastir (Tunisia); Azeza, B.; Zaaboub, Z. [Laboratoire Micro-Optoélectroniques et Nanostructures, Faculté des Sciences de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Avenue de l' environnement, 5019 Monastir (Tunisia); and others

2015-10-15

Highlights: • High quality ZnO thin films grown on different p-Si substrates were successful obtained by sol–gel process. • PL measurement revealed that ZnO thin film grown on porous Si has the better optical quality. • I–V characteristics for all heterojunctions exhibit successful diode formation. • The diode ZnO/PSi shows a better photovoltaic effect under illumination with a maximum {sub Voc} of 0.2 V. - Abstract: In this study, ZnO thin films are deposited by sol–gel technique on p-type crystalline silicon (Si) with [100] orientation, etched silicon and porous silicon. The structural analyses showed that the obtained thin films were polycrystalline with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and preferentially oriented along the c-axis direction. Morphological study revealed the presence of rounded and facetted grains irregularly distributed on the surface of all samples. PL spectra at room temperature revealed that ZnO thin film grown on porous Si has a strong UV emission with low defects in the visible region comparing with ZnO grown on plat Si and etched Si surface. The heterojunction parameters were evaluated from the (I–V) under dark and illumination at room temperature. The ideality factor, barrier height and series resistance of heterojunction grown on different p-Si substrates are determined by using different methods. Best electrical properties are obtained for ZnO layer deposited on porous silicon.

Structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of flower-like ZnO nanostructures prepared by a facile wet chemical method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sini Kuriakose

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Flower-like ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by a facile wet chemical method. Structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of these nanostructures have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, photoluminescence (PL and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. SEM and TEM studies revealed flower-like structures consisting of nanosheets, formed due to oriented attachment of ZnO nanoparticles. Flower-like ZnO structures showed enhanced photocatalytic activity towards sun-light driven photodegradation of methylene blue dye (MB as compared to ZnO nanoparticles. XRD, UV–vis absorption, PL, FTIR and TEM studies revealed the formation of Zn(OH2 surface layer on ZnO nanostructures upon ageing. We demonstrate that the formation of a passivating Zn(OH2 surface layer on the ZnO nanostructures upon ageing deteriorates their efficiency to photocatalytically degrade of MB.

A high power ZnO thin film piezoelectric generator

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Weiwei; Li, Tao; Li, Yutong; Qiu, Junwen; Ma, Xianjun; Chen, Xiaoqiang; Hu, Xuefeng; Zhang, Wei

2016-02-01

A highly efficient and large area piezoelectric ZnO thin film nanogenerator (NG) was fabricated. The ZnO thin film was deposited onto a Si substrate by pulsed laser ablation at a substrate temperature of 500 °C. The deposited ZnO film exhibited a preferred c-axis orientation and a high piezoelectric value of 49.7 pm/V characterized using Piezoelectric Force Microscopy (PFM). Thin films of ZnO were patterned into rectangular power sources with dimensions of 0.5 × 0.5 cm2 with metallic top and bottom electrodes constructed via conventional semiconductor lithographic patterning processes. The NG units were subjected to periodic bending/unbending motions produced by mechanical impingement at a fixed frequency of 100 Hz at a pressure of 0.4 kg/cm2. The output electrical voltage, current density, and power density generated by one ZnO NG were recorded. Values of ∼95 mV, 35 μA cm-2 and 5.1 mW cm-2 were recorded. The level of power density is typical to that produced by a PZT NG on a flexible substrate. Higher energy NG sources can be easily created by adding more power units either in parallel or in series. The thin film ZnO NG technique is highly adaptable with current semiconductor processes, and as such, is easily integrated with signal collecting circuits that are compatible with mass production. A typical application would be using the power harvested from irregular human foot motions to either to operate blue LEDs directly or to drive a sensor network node in mille-power level without any external electric source and circuits.

Aqueous chemical growth of free standing vertical ZnO nanoprisms, nanorods and nanodiskettes with improved texture co-efficient and tunable size uniformity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ram, S.D.G. [Bharath Niketan Engineering College, Department of Physics, Aundipatti (India); Ravi, G.; Mahalingam, T. [Alagappa University, Department of Physics, Karaikudi (India); Athimoolam, A. [Fatima Michael College of Engineering and Technology, Department of Physics, Madurai (India); Kulandainathan, M.A. [Central Electro Chemical Research Institute, Karaikudi (India)

2011-12-15

Tuning the morphology, size and aspect ratio of free standing ZnO nanostructured arrays by a simple hydrothermal method is reported. Pre-coated ZnO seed layers of two different thicknesses ({approx}350 nm or 550 nm) were used as substrates to grow ZnO nanostructures for the study. Various parameters such as chemical ambience, pH of the solution, strength of the Zn{sup 2+} atoms and thickness of seed bed are varied to analyze their effects on the resultant ZnO nanostructures. Vertically oriented hexagonal nanorods, multi-angular nanorods, hexagonal diskette and popcorn-like nanostructures are obtained by altering the experimental parameters. All the produced nanostructures were analysed by X-ray powder diffraction analysis and found to be grown in the (002) orientation of wurtzite ZnO. The texture co-efficient of ZnO layer was improved by combining a thick seed layer with higher cationic strength. Surface morphological studies reveal various nanostructures such as nanorods, diskettes and popcorn-like structures based on various preparation conditions. The optical property of the closest packed nanorods array was recorded by UV-VIS spectrometry, and the band gap value simulated from the results reflect the near characteristic band gap of ZnO. The surface roughness profile taken from the Atomic Force Microscopy reveals a roughness of less than 320 nm. (orig.)

Properties of Semiconductors: Synthesis of Oriented ZnO for Photoelectrochemistry and Photoremediation

Science.gov (United States)

Koenig, Emma; Jacobs, Ari; Lisensky, George

2017-01-01

Semiconductors are an important class of materials; preparing ZnO nanorods allows semiconducting properties to be easily observed. The week before lab, groups of four students take 15 min to setup two fluorine-doped tin oxide glass (FTO) slides in a zinc nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine solution stored at 90°C until the next lab. Hexagonal ZnO…

Effect of Er3+ doping on structural, morphological and photocatalytical properties of ZnO thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Bouhouche, S.; Bensouici, F.; Toubane, M.; Azizi, A.; Otmani, A.; Chebout, K.; Kezzoula, F.; Tala-Ighil, R.; Bououdina, M.

2018-05-01

In this research work, structure, microstructure, optical and photocatalytic properties of undoped and Erbium doped nanostructured ZnO thin films prepared by sol-gel dip-coating are investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicates that the deposited films crystallize within the hexagonal wurtzite-type structure with a preferential growth orientation along (002) plane. Morphological observations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveal important influence of Er concentration; displaying homogeneous and dense aspect for undoped to 0.3% then grid-like morphology for 0.4 and 0.5%. UV/vis/NIR transmittance spectroscopy spectra display a transmittance over 70%, and small variation in the energy gap energy 3.263–3.278 eV. Wettability test of ZnO thin films surface ranges from hydrophilic aspect for pure ZnO to hydrophobic one for Er doped ZnO, and the contact angle is found to increase from 58.7° for pure ZnO up to 98.4° for 0.4% Er doped ZnO. The photocatalytic activity measurements evaluated using the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV light irradiation demonstrate that undoped ZnO film shows higher photocatalytic activity compared to Er doped ZnO films, which may be attributed to the deterioration of films’crystallinity resulting in lower transmittance.

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.

Hydrophobic ZnO nanostructured thin films on glass substrate by simple successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, P. Suresh; Raj, A. Dhayal [Thin Film and Nanomaterials Laboratory, Department of Physics, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore-641046 (India); Mangalaraj, D., E-mail: dmraj800@yahoo.co [Department of Nanoscience and Technology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore-641046 (India); Nataraj, D. [Thin Film and Nanomaterials Laboratory, Department of Physics, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore-641046 (India)

2010-10-01

In the present work, ZnO nanostructured thin films were grown on glass substrates by a simple successive ionic layer absorption and reaction method (SILAR) process at relatively low temperature for its self cleaning application. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Photoluminescence (PL) spectra were used to characterize the prepared ZnO nanostructured film. XRD pattern clearly reviles that the grown ZnO nanostructure film reflect (002) orientation with c-direction. SEM image clearly shows the surface morphology with cluster of spindle and flower-like nanostructured with diameter various around 350 nm. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of ZnO nanostructures film exhibit a UV emission around 385nm and visible emission in the range around 420-500 nm. Good water repellent behavior were observed for ZnO nanostructured film without any surface modification.

Hydrophobic ZnO nanostructured thin films on glass substrate by simple successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, P. Suresh; Raj, A. Dhayal; Mangalaraj, D.; Nataraj, D.

2010-01-01

In the present work, ZnO nanostructured thin films were grown on glass substrates by a simple successive ionic layer absorption and reaction method (SILAR) process at relatively low temperature for its self cleaning application. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Photoluminescence (PL) spectra were used to characterize the prepared ZnO nanostructured film. XRD pattern clearly reviles that the grown ZnO nanostructure film reflect (002) orientation with c-direction. SEM image clearly shows the surface morphology with cluster of spindle and flower-like nanostructured with diameter various around 350 nm. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of ZnO nanostructures film exhibit a UV emission around 385nm and visible emission in the range around 420-500 nm. Good water repellent behavior were observed for ZnO nanostructured film without any surface modification.

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.

Fabrication of nanostructured ZnO film as a hole-conducting layer of organic photovoltaic cell

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyomin; Kwon, Yiseul; Choe, Youngson

2013-05-01

We have investigated the effect of fibrous nanostructured ZnO film as a hole-conducting layer on the performance of polymer photovoltaic cells. By increasing the concentration of zinc acetate dihydrate, the changes of performance characteristics were evaluated. Fibrous nanostructured ZnO film was prepared by sol-gel process and annealed on a hot plate. As the concentration of zinc acetate dihydrate increased, ZnO fibrous nanostructure grew from 300 to 600 nm. The obtained ZnO nanostructured fibrous films have taken the shape of a maze-like structure and were characterized by UV-visible absorption, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The intensity of absorption bands in the ultraviolet region was increased with increasing precursor concentration. The X-ray diffraction studies show that the ZnO fibrous nanostructures became strongly (002)-oriented with increasing concentration of precursor. The bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells were fabricated using poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) and indene-C60 bisadduct as active layer, and their electrical properties were investigated. The external quantum efficiency of the fabricated device increased with increasing precursor concentration.

ZnMgO-ZnO quantum wells embedded in ZnO nanopillars: Towards realisation of nano-LEDs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bakin, A.; El-Shaer, A.; Mofor, A.C.; Al-Suleiman, M.; Schlenker, E.; Waag, A. [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Braunschweig Technical University, Hans-Sommer-Str. 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany)

2007-07-01

ZnO thin films, ZnMgO/ZnO heterostructures and ZnO nanostructures were fabricated using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), vapour phase transport (VPT) and an aqueous chemical growth approach (ACG). The possibility to employ several fabrication techniques is of special importance for the realization of unique device structures. MBE was implemented for ZnO-based layer and heterostructure growth. Pronounced RHEED oscillations were used for growth control and optimisation, resulting in high quality ZnO and Zn{sub 1-x}Mg{sub x}O epilayers and heterostructures, as well as ZnMgO/ZnO quantum wells on sapphire and SiC substrates. A novel advanced VPT approach is developed and sapphire, SiC, ZnO epitaxial layers, and even plastic and glass were implemented as substrates for ZnO growth. The VPT fabrication of ZnO nanopillars, leading to well aligned, c-axis oriented nanopillars with excellent quality and purity is demonstrated. Successful steps were made towards device fabrication on ZnO basis. The nanopillar fabrication technique is combined with MBE technology: MBE-grown ZnMgO/ZnO quantum well structures were grown on ZnO nanopillars presenting significant progress towards nano-LEDs realization. (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Correlation between structural and electrical properties of ZnO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asadov, A.; Gao, W.; Li, Z.; Lee, J.; Hodgson, M.

2005-01-01

Thin ZnO films were deposited by radio frequency (r.f.) and direct current (d.c.) magnetron sputtering techniques onto glass substrates. Microstructural and electrical properties of ZnO films were studied using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and resistivity measurements. It was found that the size of the crystallites in the d.c. deposited films increased with increasing film thickness, while the crystallite size of r.f. deposited films remained unchanged. The d.c. deposited grains also had much stronger orientation related to the substrate than the r.f. films. XRD data indicated that the thin films with d<350 nm for r.f. and <750 nm for d.c. films have a very high degree of ZnO nonstoichiometry. This agreed well with the conductivity measurements and R(T) behaviour of the films with different resistance R. It was also found that the electrical resistivity of the samples increased exponentially with the thickness of films

Band-Gap Engineering in ZnO Thin Films: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study

Science.gov (United States)

Pawar, Vani; Jha, Pardeep K.; Panda, S. K.; Jha, Priyanka A.; Singh, Prabhakar

2018-05-01

Zinc oxide thin films are synthesized and characterized using x-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and optical spectroscopy. Our results reveal that the structural, morphological, and optical properties are closely related to the stress of the sample provided that the texture of the film remains the same. The anomalous results are obtained once the texture is altered to a different orientation. We support this experimental observation by carrying out first-principles hybrid functional calculations for two different orientations of the sample and show that the effect of quantum confinement is much stronger for the (100) surface than the (001) surface of ZnO. Furthermore, our calculations provide a route to enhance the band gap of ZnO by more than 50% compared to the bulk band gap, opening up possibilities for wide-range industrial applications.

Vertically aligned ZnO nanowire arrays in Rose Bengal-based dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pradhan, Basudev; Batabyal, Sudip K.; Pal, Amlan J. [Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Department of Solid State Physics, Kolkata 700032 (India)

2007-05-23

We fabricate dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) using vertically oriented, high density, and crystalline array of ZnO nanowires, which can be a suitable alternative to titanium dioxide nanoparticle films. The vertical nanowires provide fast routes or channels for electron transport to the substrate electrode. As an alternative to conventional ruthenium complex, we introduce Rose Bengal dye, which acts as a photosensitizer in the dye-sensitized solar cells. The dye energetically matches the ZnO with usual KI-I{sub 2} redox couple for dye-sensitized solar cell applications. (author)

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%.

Preparation and characterization of ZnO transparent semiconductor thin films by sol-gel method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsay, Chien-Yie; Fan, Kai-Shiung; Chen, Sih-Han; Tsai, Chia-Hao

2010-01-01

Transparent semiconductor thin films of zinc oxide (ZnO) were deposited onto alkali-free glass substrates by the sol-gel method and spin-coating technique. In this study, authors investigate the influence of the heating rate of the preheating process (4 or 10 o C/min) on the crystallization, surface morphology, and optical properties of sol-gel derived ZnO thin films. The ZnO sol was synthesized by dissolving zinc acetate dehydrate in ethanol, and then adding monoethanolamine. The as-coated films were preheated at 300 o C for 10 min and annealed at 500 o C for 1 h in air ambiance. Experimental results indicate that the heating rate of the preheating process strongly affected the surface morphology and transparency of ZnO thin film. Specifically, a heating rate of 10 o C/min for the preheating process produces a preferred orientation along the (0 0 2) plane and a high transmittance of 92% at a wavelength of 550 nm. Furthermore, this study reports the fabrication of thin-film transistors (TFTs) with a transparent ZnO active channel layer and evaluates their electrical performance.

Effect for hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorous, and argon ions irradiation on ZnO NWs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishaq, A.; Usman, M.; Dee, C. F.; Khurram, A. A.; Yan, L.; Zhou, X. T.; Nadeem, A.; Naseem, S.; Rafique, H. M.; Majlis, B. Y.

2013-01-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) are exposed to energetic proton (H + ), nitrogen (N + ), phosphorus (P + ), and argon (Ar + ) ions to understand the radiation hardness and structural changes induced by these irradiations. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy is utilized to see the irradiation effects in NWs. Multiple doses and energies of radiation at different temperatures are used for different set of samples. The study reveals that wurtzite (crystalline)-structured ZnO NWs experience amorphization, degradation, and morphological changes after the irradiation. At room temperature, deterioration of the crystalline structure is observed under high fluence of H + , N + , and P + ions. While for ZnO NWs, bombarded by Ar + and P + ions, nano-holes are produced. The ZnO NWs surfaces also show corrugated morphology full of nano-humps when irradiated by Ar + ions at 400 °C. The corrugated surface could serve as tight-holding interface when interconnecting it with other NWs/nanotubes. These nano-humps may have the function of increasing the surface for surface-oriented sensing applications in the future.

Effect for hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorous, and argon ions irradiation on ZnO NWs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishaq, A., E-mail: ishaq_ah@yahoo.com; Usman, M. [National Centre for Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Experimental Physics Labs (Pakistan); Dee, C. F. [Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN) (Malaysia); Khurram, A. A. [National Centre for Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Experimental Physics Labs (Pakistan); Yan, L., E-mail: yanlong@sinap.ac.cn; Zhou, X. T. [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (China); Nadeem, A.; Naseem, S. [University of the Punjab, Centre of Excellence in Solid State Physics (Pakistan); Rafique, H. M. [University of the Punjab, Department of Physics (Pakistan); Majlis, B. Y. [Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN) (Malaysia)

2013-04-15

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) are exposed to energetic proton (H{sup +}), nitrogen (N{sup +}), phosphorus (P{sup +}), and argon (Ar{sup +}) ions to understand the radiation hardness and structural changes induced by these irradiations. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy is utilized to see the irradiation effects in NWs. Multiple doses and energies of radiation at different temperatures are used for different set of samples. The study reveals that wurtzite (crystalline)-structured ZnO NWs experience amorphization, degradation, and morphological changes after the irradiation. At room temperature, deterioration of the crystalline structure is observed under high fluence of H{sup +}, N{sup +}, and P{sup +} ions. While for ZnO NWs, bombarded by Ar{sup +} and P{sup +} ions, nano-holes are produced. The ZnO NWs surfaces also show corrugated morphology full of nano-humps when irradiated by Ar{sup +} ions at 400 Degree-Sign C. The corrugated surface could serve as tight-holding interface when interconnecting it with other NWs/nanotubes. These nano-humps may have the function of increasing the surface for surface-oriented sensing applications in the future.

ZnO nanocoral reef grown on porous silicon substrates without catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdulgafour, H.I.; Yam, F.K.; Hassan, Z.; AL-Heuseen, K.; Jawad, M.J.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Porous silicon (PS) technology is utilized to grow coral reef-like ZnO nanostructures on the surface of Si substrates. → Flower-like aligned ZnO nanorods are fabricated directly onto the silicon substrates through zinc powder evaporation using a simple thermal evaporation method without a catalyst for comparison. → The PL spectra show that for ZnO nanocoral reefs the UV emission shifts slightly towards lower frequency. → This non-catalyst growth technique on the rough surface of substrates may have potential applications in the fabrication of nanoelectronic and nanooptical devices. - Abstract: Porous silicon (PS) technology is utilized to grow coral reef-like ZnO nanostructures on the surface of Si substrates with rough morphology. Flower-like aligned ZnO nanorods are also fabricated directly onto the silicon substrates through zinc powder evaporation using a simple thermal evaporation method without a catalyst for comparison. The characteristics of these nanostructures are investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, grazing-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), and photoluminescence (PL) measurements of structures grown on both Si and porous Si substrates. The texture coefficient obtained from the XRD spectra indicates that the coral reef-like nanostructures are highly oriented on the porous silicon substrate with decreasing nanorods length and diameter from 800-900 nm to 3.5-5.5 μm and from 217-229 nm to 0.6-0.7 μm, respectively. The PL spectra show that for ZnO nanocoral reefs the UV emission shifts slightly towards lower frequency and the intensity increase with the improvement of ZnO crystallization. This non-catalyst growth technique on the rough surface of substrates may have potential applications in the fabrication of nanoelectronic and nanooptical devices.

ZnO nanocoral reef grown on porous silicon substrates without catalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdulgafour, H.I., E-mail: hind_alshaikh@yahoo.com [School of Physics, University Sains Malaysia 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Yam, F.K.; Hassan, Z.; AL-Heuseen, K.; Jawad, M.J. [School of Physics, University Sains Malaysia 11800 Penang (Malaysia)

2011-05-05

Research highlights: > Porous silicon (PS) technology is utilized to grow coral reef-like ZnO nanostructures on the surface of Si substrates. > Flower-like aligned ZnO nanorods are fabricated directly onto the silicon substrates through zinc powder evaporation using a simple thermal evaporation method without a catalyst for comparison. > The PL spectra show that for ZnO nanocoral reefs the UV emission shifts slightly towards lower frequency. > This non-catalyst growth technique on the rough surface of substrates may have potential applications in the fabrication of nanoelectronic and nanooptical devices. - Abstract: Porous silicon (PS) technology is utilized to grow coral reef-like ZnO nanostructures on the surface of Si substrates with rough morphology. Flower-like aligned ZnO nanorods are also fabricated directly onto the silicon substrates through zinc powder evaporation using a simple thermal evaporation method without a catalyst for comparison. The characteristics of these nanostructures are investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, grazing-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), and photoluminescence (PL) measurements of structures grown on both Si and porous Si substrates. The texture coefficient obtained from the XRD spectra indicates that the coral reef-like nanostructures are highly oriented on the porous silicon substrate with decreasing nanorods length and diameter from 800-900 nm to 3.5-5.5 {mu}m and from 217-229 nm to 0.6-0.7 {mu}m, respectively. The PL spectra show that for ZnO nanocoral reefs the UV emission shifts slightly towards lower frequency and the intensity increase with the improvement of ZnO crystallization. This non-catalyst growth technique on the rough surface of substrates may have potential applications in the fabrication of nanoelectronic and nanooptical devices.

Annealing effect on optical properties of ZnO films fabricated by cathodic electrodeposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Qingtao; Wang Guanzhong; Jie Jiansheng; Han Xinhai; Xu Bo; Hou, J.G.

2005-01-01

(001)-oriented ZnO films on Zn substrates were synthesized by cathodic electrodeposition from an aqueous solution composed only of 0.05 M zinc nitrate at 65 deg. C. A bound exciton emission band around 3.34 eV along with three longitudinal optical (LO) phonon replicas and an intensive broad emission band around 2.17 eV were observed from the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of ZnO films prepared at more positive potential (- 0.6∼- 0.8 V). When more negative potential (- 1.0∼- 1.4 V) was applied, the ultraviolet emission band disappeared. These results indicate that more positive electrodeposition potential favors the high quality ZnO film growth. The PL spectra of the annealed ZnO films prepared at more positive electrodeposition potentials - 0.6∼- 1.0 V exhibit the ultraviolet emission at 3.35 eV and a negligibly weak emission from defects. Annealing resulted in the enhancement and sharpening of the excitonic emission band and decrease of the deep level emission. The bandgap (E g ) of the ZnO film prepared at - 1.0 V on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate decreased from 3.56 to 3.29 eV due to the removing of Zn(OH) 2 from the film after annealing

Synthesis of ZnO nanopencils using wet chemical method and its investigation as LPG sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimpi, Navinchandra G.; Jain, Shilpa; Karmakar, Narayan; Shah, Akshara; Kothari, D.C.; Mishra, Satyendra

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Synthesis using a simple and cost-effective wet chemical process. • Uniform, monodispersed and pure nanoparticles. • Pencil shaped rods with sharp tips. • Understanding of Growth mechanism. • Efficient LPG sensing with high response. • Morphology dependent sensing. - Abstract: ZnO nanopencils (NPCs) were prepared by a novel wet chemical process, using triethanolamine (TEA) as a mild base, which is relatively simple and cost effective method as compared to hydrothermal method. ZnO NPCs were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy in mid-IR and far-IR regions, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis (UV–vis) absorption spectroscopy, room temperature Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). ZnO NPCs obtained, were highly pure, uniform and monodispersed.XRD pattern indicated hexagonal unit cell structure with preferred orientation along the c-axis. Sensing behaviour of ZnO NPCs was studied towards Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) at different operating temperatures. The study shows that ZnO NPCs were most sensitive and promising candidate for detection of LPG at 250 °C with gas sensitivity > 60%. The high response towards LPG is due to high surface area of ZnO NPCs and their parallel alignment.

Synthesis of ZnO nanopencils using wet chemical method and its investigation as LPG sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimpi, Navinchandra G., E-mail: navin_shimpi@rediffmail.com [Department of Chemistry, University of Mumbai, Santacruz (East), Mumbai-400098 (India); Jain, Shilpa [Department of Chemistry, University of Mumbai, Santacruz (East), Mumbai-400098 (India); Karmakar, Narayan [Department of Physics, University of Mumbai, Santacruz (East), Mumbai-400098 (India); Shah, Akshara [Department of Chemistry, University of Mumbai, Santacruz (East), Mumbai-400098 (India); Kothari, D.C. [Department of Physics, University of Mumbai, Santacruz (East), Mumbai-400098 (India); National Centre for Nanosciences & Nanotechnology, University of Mumbai, Santacruz (East), Mumbai-400098 (India); Mishra, Satyendra [University Institute of Chemical Technology, North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon (India)

2016-12-30

Highlights: • Synthesis using a simple and cost-effective wet chemical process. • Uniform, monodispersed and pure nanoparticles. • Pencil shaped rods with sharp tips. • Understanding of Growth mechanism. • Efficient LPG sensing with high response. • Morphology dependent sensing. - Abstract: ZnO nanopencils (NPCs) were prepared by a novel wet chemical process, using triethanolamine (TEA) as a mild base, which is relatively simple and cost effective method as compared to hydrothermal method. ZnO NPCs were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy in mid-IR and far-IR regions, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis (UV–vis) absorption spectroscopy, room temperature Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). ZnO NPCs obtained, were highly pure, uniform and monodispersed.XRD pattern indicated hexagonal unit cell structure with preferred orientation along the c-axis. Sensing behaviour of ZnO NPCs was studied towards Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) at different operating temperatures. The study shows that ZnO NPCs were most sensitive and promising candidate for detection of LPG at 250 °C with gas sensitivity > 60%. The high response towards LPG is due to high surface area of ZnO NPCs and their parallel alignment.

Effect of R.F. Power to the Structural Properties of ZnO Thin Films Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sin, N.D.M.; Rusop, M.

2011-01-01

The effect of RF power variation (100 watt∼400 watt ) on the zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films electrical, optical and structural properties were examined using current voltage (I-V) measurement, UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscope (AFM). ZnO thin films were prepared at room temperature in pure argon atmosphere by a RF magnetron sputtering using ZnO target. The resistivity of thin film show the lowest at 300 watt. The absorption coefficient spectra obtained from UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer measurement show all films have low absorbance in visible and near infrared (IR) region but have high UV absorption properties using UV-VIS spectrophotometer (JASCO 670) . Highly oriented ZnO thin films [002] direction were obtained by using Rigaku Ultima IV. (author)

Low-temperature growth of (2 1-bar 1-bar 0) ZnO nanofilm on NaCl (0 0 1) surface by ion beam sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Jung-Hsiung; Yeh, Sung-Wei; Huang, Hsing-Lu; Gan, Dershin

2009-01-01

ZnO nanofilm of the (2 1 -bar 1 -bar 0) surface was prepared by ion beam sputtering deposition. The nanofilm was prepared on NaCl (0 0 1) surface at 200 o C to produce nearly pure (2 1 -bar 1 -bar 0) ZnO texture and the orientation relationship was determined and the interface discussed. Transmission electron microscopy lattice images were used to find the interface formed between ZnO nanocrystals. The ZnO nanocrystals coalesced to form a straight (0 1 -bar 1 -bar 2) interface. The photoluminescence spectrum from the (2 1 -bar 1 -bar 0) ZnO surface showed only a near-band-edge UV emission peak.

Effect of surface microstructure and wettability on plasma protein adsorption to ZnO thin films prepared at different RF powers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang Zhanyun; Chen Min; Chen Dihu [State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Pan Shirong, E-mail: stscdh@mail.sysu.edu.c [Artificial Heart Lab, the 1st Affiliate Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080 (China)

2010-10-01

In this paper, the adsorption behavior of plasma proteins on the surface of ZnO thin films prepared by radio frequency (RF) sputtering under different sputtering powers was studied. The microstructures and surface properties of the ZnO thin films were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible optical absorption spectroscopy and contact angle techniques. The results show that the ZnO thin films have better orientation of the (0 0 2) peak with increasing RF power, especially at around 160 W, and the optical band gap of the ZnO films varies from 3.2 to 3.4 eV. The contact angle test carried out by the sessile drop technique denoted a hydrophobic surface of the ZnO films, and the surface energy and adhesive work of the ZnO thin films decreased with increasing sputtering power. The amounts of human fibrinogen (HFG) and human serum albumin (HSA) adsorbing on the ZnO films and reference samples were determined by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results show that fewer plasma proteins and a smaller HFG/HSA ratio adsorb on the ZnO thin films' surface.

Low-cost synthesis of pure ZnO nanowalls showing three-fold symmetry

Science.gov (United States)

Scuderi, Mario; Strano, Vincenzina; Spinella, Corrado; Nicotra, Giuseppe; Mirabella, Salvo

2018-04-01

ZnO nanowalls (NWLs) represent a non-toxic, Earth abundant, high surface-to-volume ratio, semiconducting nanostructure which has already showed potential applications in biosensing, environmental monitoring and energy. Low-cost synthesis of these nanostructures is extremely appealing for large scale upgrading of laboratory results, and its implementation has to be tested at the nanoscale, at least in terms of chemical purity and crystallographic orientation. Here, we have produced pure and texturized ZnO NWLs by using chemical bath deposition (CBD) synthesis followed by a thermal treatment at 300 °C. We examined the NWL formation process and the new obtained structure at the nanoscale, by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy in combination with x-ray diffraction and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. We have shown that only after annealing at 300 °C in nitrogen does the as-grown material, composed of a mixture of Zn compounds NWLs, show its peculiar crystal arrangement. The resulting ZnO sheets are in fact made by ZnO wurtzite domains (4-5 nm) that show a particular kind of texturization; indeed, they are aligned with their own c-axis always perpendicular to the sheets forming the wall and rotated (around the c-axis) by multiples of 20° from each other. The presented data show that low-cost CBD, followed by an annealing process, gives pure ZnO with a peculiarly ordered nanostructure that shows three-fold symmetry. Such evidence at the nanoscale will have significant implications for realizing sensing or catalyst devices based on ZnO NWLs.

Electrical and optical properties of a n-type ZnO thin film deposited on a Si substrate by using a double RF Co-sputtering method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jonghyun; Choi, Wonjoon; Kim, Chaeok; Hong, Jinpyo; Nahm, Tschanguh [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Cheong, Hyeonsik [Sogang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2006-09-15

Outstanding n-type ZnO thin films were prepared on Si substrates by utilizing a double RF cosputtering method. Our unique double RF technique has many attractive merits for synthesizing ZnO thin films with excellent optoelectronic properties at various temperatures. The ZnO thin films were also post-annealed at various temperatures. The X-ray diffraction patterns and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated well-grown ZnO films with a (002) orientation and with gorgeous chemically bond states, respectively. In addition, photoluminescence measurements indicated a band-gap of 3.4 eV in the ZnO films. The scanning electron microscopy images showed that the as-grown ZnO thin film had hexagonal column shapes, such as hexagonal rods. The ZnO film exhibited an UV light response with a cut-off wavelength of {approx}370 nm at room temperature.

Template-controlled piezoactivity of ZnO thin films grown via a bioinspired approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nina J. Blumenstein

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Biomaterials are used as model systems for the deposition of functional inorganic materials under mild reaction conditions where organic templates direct the deposition process. In this study, this principle was adapted for the formation of piezoelectric ZnO thin films. The influence of two different organic templates (namely, a carboxylate-terminated self-assembled monolayer and a sulfonate-terminated polyelectrolyte multilayer on the deposition and therefore on the piezoelectric performance was investigated. While the low negative charge of the COOH-SAM is not able to support oriented attachment of the particles, the strongly negatively charged sulfonated polyelectrolyte leads to texturing of the ZnO film. This texture enables a piezoelectric performance of the material which was measured by piezoresponse force microscopy. This study shows that it is possible to tune the piezoelectric properties of ZnO by applying templates with different functionalities.

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.

Defect characterization and magnetic properties in un-doped ZnO thin film annealed in a strong magnetic field

Science.gov (United States)

Ning, Shuai; Zhan, Peng; Wang, Wei-Peng; Li, Zheng-Cao; Zhang, Zheng-Jun

2014-12-01

Highly c-axis oriented un-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films, each with a thickness of ~ 100 nm, are deposited on Si (001) substrates by pulsed electron beam deposition at a temperature of ~ 320 °C, followed by annealing at 650 °C in argon in a strong magnetic field. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), positron annihilation analysis (PAS), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) characterizations suggest that the major defects generated in these ZnO films are oxygen vacancies. Photoluminescence (PL) and magnetic property measurements indicate that the room-temperature ferromagnetism in the un-doped ZnO film originates from the singly ionized oxygen vacancies whose number depends on the strength of the magnetic field applied in the thermal annealing process. The effects of the magnetic field on the defect generation in the ZnO films are also discussed.

Macroscopic optical constants of a cloud of randomly oriented nonspherical scatterers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borghese, F.; Denti, P.; Saija, R.; Toscano, G.; Sindoni, O.I.

1984-01-01

A method to calculate the macroscopic optical constants of a low-density medium consisting of a cloud of identical nonspherical scatterers is presented. The scatterers in the medium are clusters of dielectric spheres and the electromagnetic field scattered by each of the clusters is obtained as a superposition of multipole fields, as previously proposed by the authors. The transformation properties of the spherical multipoles under rotation allow the orientation-dependent terms in the expression for the forward-scattering amplitude of each of the clusters to be factored out. In this way the sum of the scattering amplitudes of the clusters with different orientations, needed to calculate the optical response of the medium, is greatly facilitated and admits a simple analytic expression in the case of randomly oriented clusters. Results of calculations of the optical constants for a few model media are presented

Defect studies of ZnO single crystals electrochemically doped with hydrogen

Science.gov (United States)

Čížek, J.; Žaludová, N.; Vlach, M.; Daniš, S.; Kuriplach, J.; Procházka, I.; Brauer, G.; Anwand, W.; Grambole, D.; Skorupa, W.; Gemma, R.; Kirchheim, R.; Pundt, A.

2008-03-01

Various defect studies of hydrothermally grown (0001) oriented ZnO crystals electrochemically doped with hydrogen are presented. The hydrogen content in the crystals is determined by nuclear reaction analysis and it is found that already 0.3at.% H exists in chemically bound form in the virgin ZnO crystals. A single positron lifetime of 182ps is detected in the virgin crystals and attributed to saturated positron trapping at Zn vacancies surrounded by hydrogen atoms. It is demonstrated that a very high amount of hydrogen (up to ˜30at.%) can be introduced into the crystals by electrochemical doping. More than half of this amount is chemically bound, i.e., incorporated into the ZnO crystal lattice. This drastic increase of the hydrogen concentration is of marginal impact on the measured positron lifetime, whereas a contribution of positrons annihilated by electrons belonging to O-H bonds formed in the hydrogen doped crystal is found in coincidence Doppler broadening spectra. The formation of hexagonal shape pyramids on the surface of the hydrogen doped crystals by optical microscopy is observed and discussed.

Randomly oriented twin domains in electrodeposited silver dendrites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivanović Evica R.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Silver dendrites were prepared by electrochemical deposition. The structures of Ag dendrites, the type of twins and their distribution were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, Z-contrast high angle annular dark field transmission electron microscopy (HAADF, and crystallografically sensitive orientation imaging microscopy (OIM. The results revealed that silver dendrites are characterized by the presence of randomly distributed 180° rotational twin domains. The broad surface of dendrites was of the {111} type. Growth directions of the main dendrite stem and all branches were of type. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 172054

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.

Synthesis and characterization of DC magnetron sputtered ZnO thin films under high working pressures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hezam, M.; Tabet, N.; Mekki, A.

2010-01-01

ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates using direct current (dc) magnetron sputtering under high working pressures. A pure zinc target was used, and sputtering was carried out in an oxygen atmosphere. The working pressure was varied between 50 and 800 mTorr. XRD characterization showed that for a window of working pressures between 300 and 500 mTorr, the deposited films were polycrystalline, with strong preferential orientation of grains along the c-axis. The film deposited at 400 mTorr had the highest (002) peak with the largest estimated grain size. Outside this window, the crystallinity and c-orientation of grains are lost. The microstructure of the films was investigated by Atomic Force microscopy (AFM). Optical transparency of the films was about 85%. The films produced were highly resistive, which might provide new alternatives for the synthesis of ZnO thin films aimed for SAW devices.

ZnO films grown by pulsed-laser deposition on soda lime glass substrates for the ultraviolet inactivation of Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean-Paul Mosnier, Richard J O'Haire, Enda McGlynn, Martin O Henry, Stephen J McDonnell, Maria A Boyle and Kevin G McGuigan

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We found that a ZnO film of 2 μm thickness which was laser-deposited at room temperature onto a plain soda lime glass substrate, exhibits notable antibacterial activity against a biofilm of Staphylococcus epidermidis when back-illuminated by a UVA light source with a peak emission wavelength of about 365 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, atomic force microscopy (AFM, UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS were used to characterize the ZnO films before and after the interactions with the biofilm and the ultraviolet light, respectively. The as-deposited film was highly textured with the wurtzite (0002 in-plane orientation (c-axis perpendicular to ZnO surface and had a surface rms roughness of 49.7 nm. In the as-deposited film, the Zn to O ratio was 1 to 0.95. After the UV and biofilm treatments, the ZnO film surface had become rougher (rms roughness 68.1 nm and presented uniform micron-sized pitting randomly distributed, while the zinc to oxygen ratio had become 1 to 2.2. In this case, both the UV-visible and Raman spectra pointed to degradation of the structural quality of the material. On the strength of these data, we propose a model for the mediation of the bactericidal activity in which the photogeneration of highly oxidizing species and the presence of active surface defect sites both play an important role. This study is of particular interest for the acute problem of disinfection of pathogenic biofilms which form on medical device/implant surfaces.

Synthesis of assembled ZnO structures by precipitation method in aqueous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sepulveda-Guzman, S.; Reeja-Jayan, B.; Rosa, E. de la; Torres-Castro, A.; Gonzalez-Gonzalez, V.; Jose-Yacaman, M.

2009-01-01

In this work, arrays of submicron ZnO structures were successfully synthesized using a one-step aqueous precipitation method. Snowflake-like and flower-like morphologies were obtained by changing the reaction temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated that the ZnO arrays have a wurtzite crystal structure. A possible growth mechanism based on the analysis done by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) is proposed. Our findings suggest that the growth mechanism of the ZnO arrays is by self-aggregation, and that such an oriented aggregation is enhanced by increasing the reaction temperature. The results also revealed that the aggregation process introduces several structural defects such as differences in mass distribution and crystalline structure. In order to study the surface chemical composition the samples were also characterized by XPS. The results showed the presence of Zn(OH) 2 and absorbed carbon species on the ZnO surface. In addition, the photoluminescence characterization showed that on UV excitation (λ = 360 nm) all samples present the characteristic UV emission centered at 390 nm, and for the sample synthesized at 60 deg. C, a visible emission was also observed

Synthesis of assembled ZnO structures by precipitation method in aqueous media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sepulveda-Guzman, S. [Centro de Innovacion, Investigacion y Desarrollo en Ingenieria y Tecnologia, UANL Km. 10 de la nueva carretera al Aeropuerto Internacional de Monterrey, PIIT Monterrey, Apodaca NL (Mexico); Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica de la UANL, Ciudad Universitaria San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon C.P. 66451 (Mexico)], E-mail: ssepulveda@mail.uanl.mx; Reeja-Jayan, B. [Texas Materials Institute, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0803 (United States); Rosa, E. de la [Centro de Investigaciones en Optica, A.C. Loma del Bosque 115 Col. Lomas del Campestre, Leon Gto. C.P. 37150 (Mexico); Torres-Castro, A.; Gonzalez-Gonzalez, V. [Centro de Innovacion, Investigacion y Desarrollo en Ingenieria y Tecnologia, UANL Km. 10 de la nueva carretera al Aeropuerto Internacional de Monterrey, PIIT Monterrey, Apodaca NL (Mexico); Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica de la UANL, Ciudad Universitaria San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon C.P. 66451 (Mexico); Jose-Yacaman, M. [Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Texas at San Antonio, 1604 Campus San Antonio, TX 78249 (United States)

2009-05-15

In this work, arrays of submicron ZnO structures were successfully synthesized using a one-step aqueous precipitation method. Snowflake-like and flower-like morphologies were obtained by changing the reaction temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated that the ZnO arrays have a wurtzite crystal structure. A possible growth mechanism based on the analysis done by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) is proposed. Our findings suggest that the growth mechanism of the ZnO arrays is by self-aggregation, and that such an oriented aggregation is enhanced by increasing the reaction temperature. The results also revealed that the aggregation process introduces several structural defects such as differences in mass distribution and crystalline structure. In order to study the surface chemical composition the samples were also characterized by XPS. The results showed the presence of Zn(OH){sub 2} and absorbed carbon species on the ZnO surface. In addition, the photoluminescence characterization showed that on UV excitation ({lambda} = 360 nm) all samples present the characteristic UV emission centered at 390 nm, and for the sample synthesized at 60 deg. C, a visible emission was also observed.

Investigation of the correlation between dielectric function, thickness and morphology of nano-granular ZnO very thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilliot, Mickaël, E-mail: mickael.gilliot@univ-reims.fr [Laboratoire d' Ingénierie et Sciences des Matériaux, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (France); Hadjadj, Aomar [Laboratoire d' Ingénierie et Sciences des Matériaux, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (France); Martin, Jérôme [Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d' Instrumentation Optique, Université de Technologie de Troyes (France)

2015-12-31

Thin nano-granular ZnO layers were prepared using a sol–gel synthesis and spin-coating deposition process with a thickness ranging between 20 and 120 nm. The complex dielectric function (ϵ) of the ZnO film was determined from spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. Up to a critical thickness close to 60 nm, the magnitude of both the real and the imaginary parts of ϵ rapidly increases and then slowly tends to values closer to the bulk ZnO material. This trend suggests a drastic change in the film porosity at both sides of this critical thickness, due to the pre-heating and post-crystallization processes, as confirmed by additional characterization of the structure and the morphology of the ZnO films. - Highlights: • c-Axis oriented ZnO thin films were grown with different morphological states. • The morphology and structures are controlled by controlling the thickness. • The optical properties are correlated to morphological evolution. • Two growth behaviors and property evolutions are identified around a critical thickness.

Defect characterization and magnetic properties in un-doped ZnO thin film annealed in a strong magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ning Shuai; Zhan Peng; Wang Wei-Peng; Li Zheng-Cao; Zhang Zheng-Jun

2014-01-01

Highly c-axis oriented un-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films, each with a thickness of ∼ 100 nm, are deposited on Si (001) substrates by pulsed electron beam deposition at a temperature of ∼ 320 °C, followed by annealing at 650 °C in argon in a strong magnetic field. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), positron annihilation analysis (PAS), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) characterizations suggest that the major defects generated in these ZnO films are oxygen vacancies. Photoluminescence (PL) and magnetic property measurements indicate that the room-temperature ferromagnetism in the un-doped ZnO film originates from the singly ionized oxygen vacancies whose number depends on the strength of the magnetic field applied in the thermal annealing process. The effects of the magnetic field on the defect generation in the ZnO films are also discussed. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Effects of preannealing temperature of ZnO thin films on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kao, M.C.; Chen, H.Z.; Young, S.L. [Hsiuping Institute of Technology, Department of Electronic Engineering, Taichung (China)

2010-03-15

The preferred (002) orientation zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystalline thin films have been deposited on FTO-coated glass substrates by sol-gel spin-coating technology and rapid thermal annealing for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The effects of preannealing temperature (100 and 300 C) on the microstructure, morphology and optical properties of ZnO thin films were studied. The ZnO thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. The photoelectric performance of DSSC was studied by I-V curve and the incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE), respectively. From the results, the intensities of (002) peaks of ZnO thin films increases with increasing preannealing temperature from 100 C to 300 C. The increase in pore size and surface area of ZnO films crystallized at the increased preannealing temperature contributed to the improvement on the absorption of N3 dye onto the films, the short-circuit photocurrent (J{sub sc}) and open-circuit voltage (V{sub oc}) of DSSC. The higher efficiency ({eta}) of 2.5% with J{sub sc} and V{sub oc} of 8.2 mA/cm{sup 2} and 0.64 V, respectively, was obtained by the ZnO film preannealed at 300 C. (orig.)

Structural, morphological and electroluminescence studies of Zno:Co nanophosphor

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Anju; Vishwakarma, H. L.

2016-09-01

The nanoparticles of zinc oxide (ZnO) doped with various concentrations of cobalt (Co) were synthesized by chemical precipitation method in the presence of capping agent polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The effect of doping concentration on structural and morphological properties has been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Cell volume, bond length, texture coefficient, lattice constants and dislocation density are also studied. Here, we also compared the interplaner spacing and relative peak intensities from their standard values with different angles. Crystallite sizes have been calculated by Debye-Scherrer's formula whose values are decreasing with increase in cobalt content up to 3 %. It has been seen that the growth orientation of the prepared ZnO nanorods was (101). The XRD analysis also ensures that ZnO has a hexagonal (wurtzite) crystal structure. The electroluminescence (EL) cells were prepared by placing pure and cobalt-doped ZnO nanoparticles between ITO-coated conducting glass plate and aluminium foil. Alternating voltage of various frequencies was applied, and EL brightness at different voltages was measured and corresponding current was also recorded. The voltage dependence of electroluminescence (EL) brightness of the ZnO:Co shows exponential increase. The linear voltage-current characteristic indicates ohmic nature. The EL brightness at a particular voltage is found to increase by increasing Co doping, but for higher percentage of Co the EL brightness is reduced. It is also seen that Co does not influence the threshold voltage. The brightness is also affected by increasing the frequency of AC signal.

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.

Spontaneous orientation-tuning driven by the strain variation in self-assembled ZnO-SrRuO3 heteroepitaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Yuanmin; Liu, Ruirui; Zhan, Qian; Chang, Wei Sea; Yu, Rong; Wei, Tzu-Chiao; He, Jr-Hau; Chu, Ying-Hao

2015-01-01

Heteroepitaxial ZnO and SrRuO 3 were grown on SrTiO 3 (111) substrates and formed a self-assembled wurtzite-perovskite nanostructure. Spontaneous orientation-tuning of the SrRuO 3 pillars was observed, with the growth direction changing from [111] SRO to [011] SRO as the film thickness increased, which is attributed to a misfit strain transition from the biaxial strain imposed by the SrTiO 3 substrate to the vertical strain provided by the ZnO matrix. The [011]-SrRuO 3 and [0001]-ZnO combination presents a favorable matching in the nanocomposite films, resulting in higher charge carrier mobility. This vertically integrated configuration and regulation on the crystallographic orientations are expected to be employed in designing multi-functional nanocomposite systems for applications in electronic devices

Spontaneous orientation-tuning driven by the strain variation in self-assembled ZnO-SrRuO3 heteroepitaxy

KAUST Repository

Zhu, Yuanmin

2015-11-09

Heteroepitaxial ZnO and SrRuO3 were grown on SrTiO3 (111) substrates and formed a self-assembled wurtzite-perovskite nanostructure. Spontaneous orientation-tuning of the SrRuO3 pillars was observed, with the growth direction changing from [111]SRO to [011]SRO as the film thickness increased, which is attributed to a misfit strain transition from the biaxial strain imposed by the SrTiO3 substrate to the vertical strain provided by the ZnO matrix. The [011]-SrRuO3 and [0001]-ZnO combination presents a favorable matching in the nanocomposite films, resulting in higher charge carrier mobility. This vertically integrated configuration and regulation on the crystallographic orientations are expected to be employed in designing multi-functional nanocomposite systems for applications in electronic devices.

Spontaneous orientation-tuning driven by the strain variation in self-assembled ZnO-SrRuO3 heteroepitaxy

KAUST Repository

Zhu, Yuanmin; Chang, Wei Sea; Yu, Rong; Liu, Ruirui; Wei, Tzu-Chiao; He, Jr-Hau; Chu, Ying-Hao; Zhan, Qian

2015-01-01

Heteroepitaxial ZnO and SrRuO3 were grown on SrTiO3 (111) substrates and formed a self-assembled wurtzite-perovskite nanostructure. Spontaneous orientation-tuning of the SrRuO3 pillars was observed, with the growth direction changing from [111]SRO to [011]SRO as the film thickness increased, which is attributed to a misfit strain transition from the biaxial strain imposed by the SrTiO3 substrate to the vertical strain provided by the ZnO matrix. The [011]-SrRuO3 and [0001]-ZnO combination presents a favorable matching in the nanocomposite films, resulting in higher charge carrier mobility. This vertically integrated configuration and regulation on the crystallographic orientations are expected to be employed in designing multi-functional nanocomposite systems for applications in electronic devices.

ZnO quantum dots–decorated ZnO nanowires for the enhancement of antibacterial and photocatalytic performances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Jyh Ming; Tsay, Li-Yi

2015-01-01

We demonstrate highly antibacterial activities for killing off Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using ZnO nanowires decorated with ZnO quantum dots (so-called ZnO QDs/NWs) under visible-light irradiation and dark conditions. The average size of the ZnO QDs is in the range of 3–5 nm; these were uniformly dispersed on the ZnO nanowires’ surface to form the ZnO QDs/NWs. A significant blue-shift effect was observed using photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The size of the ZnO QDs is strongly dependent on the material’s synthesis time. The ZnO QDs/NWs exhibited an excellent photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation. The ZnO QDs’ active sites (i.e. the O–H bond and Zn"2"+) accelerate the photogenerated-carrier migration from the QDs to the NWs. As a consequence, the electrons reacted with the dissolved oxygen to form oxygen ions and produced hydroperoxyl radicals to enhance photocatalytic activity. The antibacterial activities (as indicated by R-factor-inhibiting activity) of the ZnO QDs/NWs for killing off Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli is around 4.9 and 5.5 under visible-light irradiation and dark conditions, respectively. The hydroxyl radicals served as an efficient oxidized agent for decomposing the organic dye and microorganism species. The antibacterial activities of the ZnO QDs/NWs in the dark may be attributed to the Zn"2"+ ions that were released from the ZnO QDs and infused into the microbial solution against the growth of bacteria thus disrupting the microorganism. The highly antibacterial and photocatalytic activity of the ZnO QDs/NWs can be well implanted on a screen window, thus offering a promising solution to inhibit the spread of germs under visible-light and dark conditions. (paper)

Efficacy of saccharides bio-template on structural, morphological, optical and antibacterial property of ZnO nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhanalakshmi, A; Palanimurugan, A; Natarajan, B

2018-09-01

Mono, di and polysaccharides of glucose (C 6 H 12 O 6 ), sucrose (C 12 H 24 O 12 ) and starch (C 6 H 12 O 6 ) n bio-template ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) has prepared by chemical precipitation method. Saccharides bio-template ZnO (SBts-ZnO) NPs were efficiently prepared for their structural and optical properties were examined by using XRD, FE-SEM, AFM, FTIR, UV and PL techniques. All the samples are polycrystalline nature with a preferential orientation depending on the (1 0 1) plane. The reduction of crystalline size by utilizing glucose, sucrose and starch bio-template of ZnO NPs. FE-SEM images revealed that the spherical and nano-rods like morphologies for ZnO and SBts-ZnO NPs respectively. AFM recorded images shows spherical features that confirmed and also the morphological changes were noticed with the addition of polymers. Interaction of bio-templated saccharides (glucose G 1 , sucrose S 2 & starch S n ) molecules was proved by FTIR study. Optical absorbance and emission behaviours were investigated using UV-Vis and photoluminescence techniques. The antibacterial study revealed that SBts-ZnO have excellent antibacterial effect than ZnO. The S n -ZnO sample has potent antibacterial activity against the Proteus vulgaris followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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.

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.

Effect of Al and Fe doping in ZnO on magnetic and magneto-transport properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Santosh; Deepika; Tripathi, Malvika; Vaibhav, Pratyush; Kumar, Aman; Kumar, Ritesh; Choudhary, R.J.; Phase, D.M.

2016-01-01

The structural, magnetic and magneto-transport of undoped ZnO, Zn_0_._9_7Al_0_._0_3O, Zn_0_._9_5Fe_0_._0_5O and Zn_0_._9_2Al_0_._0_3Fe_0_._0_5O thin films grown on Si(100) substrate using pulsed laser deposition were investigated. The single phase nature of the films is confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The possibility of Fe metal cluster in Fe doped/co-doped films is ruled out by Fe 2p core level photoelectron spectra. From O 1s core level spectra it is observed that oxygen vacancy is present in all the films. The undoped ZnO film shows magnetic ordering below ∼175 K, whereas Fe doped/codoped samples show magnetic ordering even at 300 K. The Al doped sample reveals paramagnetic behavior. The magneto-transport measurements suggest that the mobile carriers undergo exchange interaction with local magnetic moments. - Highlights: • Al, Fe, Al–Fe co-doped and undoped films of ZnO are deposited on Si by PLD. • Single phase (002) oriented Wurtzite ZnO phase is formed for all films. • Fe doped and Fe–Al co-doped ZnO films reveal magnetic hysteresis at 300 K. • Negative magnetoresistance is observed in undoped and Fe–Al co-doped ZnO film. • It is apparent that charge carriers are coupled with the local magnetic moment.

Effect of Al and Fe doping in ZnO on magnetic and magneto-transport properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Santosh, E-mail: skphysics@yahoo.co.in [Department of Physics, College of Commerce, Arts & Science, Patna 800020, Bihar (India); Deepika [Department of Physics, College of Commerce, Arts & Science, Patna 800020, Bihar (India); Tripathi, Malvika [UGC DAE, Consortium for scientific research, Indore 452001, Madhya Pradesh (India); Vaibhav, Pratyush [Jaypee University of Engineering and Technology, Guna 473226, Madhya Pradesh (India); Kumar, Aman [Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (India); Kumar, Ritesh [Department of Physics, College of Commerce, Arts & Science, Patna 800020, Bihar (India); Choudhary, R.J., E-mail: ram@csr.res.in [UGC DAE, Consortium for scientific research, Indore 452001, Madhya Pradesh (India); Phase, D.M. [UGC DAE, Consortium for scientific research, Indore 452001, Madhya Pradesh (India)

2016-12-01

The structural, magnetic and magneto-transport of undoped ZnO, Zn{sub 0.97}Al{sub 0.03}O, Zn{sub 0.95}Fe{sub 0.05}O and Zn{sub 0.92}Al{sub 0.03}Fe{sub 0.05}O thin films grown on Si(100) substrate using pulsed laser deposition were investigated. The single phase nature of the films is confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The possibility of Fe metal cluster in Fe doped/co-doped films is ruled out by Fe 2p core level photoelectron spectra. From O 1s core level spectra it is observed that oxygen vacancy is present in all the films. The undoped ZnO film shows magnetic ordering below ∼175 K, whereas Fe doped/codoped samples show magnetic ordering even at 300 K. The Al doped sample reveals paramagnetic behavior. The magneto-transport measurements suggest that the mobile carriers undergo exchange interaction with local magnetic moments. - Highlights: • Al, Fe, Al–Fe co-doped and undoped films of ZnO are deposited on Si by PLD. • Single phase (002) oriented Wurtzite ZnO phase is formed for all films. • Fe doped and Fe–Al co-doped ZnO films reveal magnetic hysteresis at 300 K. • Negative magnetoresistance is observed in undoped and Fe–Al co-doped ZnO film. • It is apparent that charge carriers are coupled with the local magnetic moment.

Synthesis of ZnO nanorod–nanosheet composite via facile hydrothermal method and their photocatalytic activities under visible-light irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tan, Wai Kian [Department of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580 (Japan); Abdul Razak, Khairunisak; Lockman, Zainovia [School of Materials and Mineral Resources, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia); Kawamura, Go; Muto, Hiroyuki [Department of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580 (Japan); Matsuda, Atsunori, E-mail: matsuda@ee.tut.ac.jp [Department of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580 (Japan)

2014-03-15

ZnO composite films consisting of ZnO nanorods and nanosheets were prepared by low-temperature hydrothermal processing at 80 °C on seeded glass substrates. The seed layer was coated on glass substrates by sol–gel dip-coating and pre-heated at 300 °C for 10 min prior to hydrothermal growth. The size of the grain formed after pre-heat treatment was ∼40 nm. A preferred orientation seed layer at the c-axis was obtained, which promoted vertical growth of the ZnO nanorod arrays and formation of the ZnO nanosheets. X-ray diffraction patterns and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM) images confirmed that the ZnO nanorods and nanosheets consist of single crystalline and polycrystalline structures, respectively. Room temperature photoluminescence spectra of the ZnO nanorod–nanosheet composite films exhibited band-edge ultraviolet (UV) and visible emission (blue and green) indicating the formation of ZnO crystals with good crystallinity and are supported by Raman scattering results. The formation of one-dimensional (1D) ZnO nanorod arrays and two-dimensional (2D) ZnO nanosheet films using seeded substrates in a single low-temperature hydrothermal step would be beneficial for realization of device applications that utilize substrates with limited temperature stability. The ZnO nanorods and nanosheets composite structure demonstrated higher photocatalytic activity during degradation of aqueous methylene blue under visible-light irradiation. -- Graphical abstract: Schematic illustration of ZnO nanorod–nanosheet composite structure formation by hydrothermal at low-temperature of 80 °C against time. Highlights: • Novel simultaneous formation of ZnO nanorods and nanosheets composite structure. • Facile single hydrothermal step formation at low-temperature. • Photoluminescence showed ultraviolet and visible emission. • Feasible application on substrates with low temperature stability. • Improved photocatalytic activity under visible

UV protective zinc oxide coating for biaxially oriented polypropylene packaging film by atomic layer deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lahtinen, Kimmo, E-mail: kimmo.lahtinen@lut.fi [ASTRaL, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Sammonkatu 12, FI-50130 Mikkeli (Finland); Kääriäinen, Tommi, E-mail: tommi.kaariainen@colorado.edu [ASTRaL, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Sammonkatu 12, FI-50130 Mikkeli (Finland); Johansson, Petri, E-mail: petri.johansson@tut.fi [Paper Converting and Packaging Technology, Tampere University of Technology, P.O.Box 589, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland); Kotkamo, Sami, E-mail: sami.kotkamo@tut.fi [Paper Converting and Packaging Technology, Tampere University of Technology, P.O.Box 589, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland); Maydannik, Philipp, E-mail: philipp.maydannik@lut.fi [ASTRaL, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Sammonkatu 12, FI-50130 Mikkeli (Finland); Seppänen, Tarja, E-mail: tarja.seppanen@lut.fi [ASTRaL, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Sammonkatu 12, FI-50130 Mikkeli (Finland); Kuusipalo, Jurkka, E-mail: jurkka.kuusipalo@tut.fi [Paper Converting and Packaging Technology, Tampere University of Technology, P.O.Box 589, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland); Cameron, David C., E-mail: david.cameron@miktech.fi [ASTRaL, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Sammonkatu 12, FI-50130 Mikkeli (Finland)

2014-11-03

Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) packaging film was coated with zinc oxide (ZnO) coatings by atomic layer deposition (ALD) in order to protect the film from UV degradation. The coatings were made at a process temperature of 100 °C using diethylzinc and water as zinc and oxygen precursors, respectively. The UV protective properties of the coatings were tested by using UV–VIS and infrared spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and a mechanical strength tester, which characterised the tensile and elastic properties of the film. The results obtained with 36 and 67 nm ZnO coatings showed that the ZnO UV protective layer is able to provide a significant decrease in photodegradation of the BOPP film under UV exposure. While the uncoated BOPP film suffered a complete degradation after a 4-week UV exposure, the 67 nm ZnO coated BOPP film was able to preserve half of its original tensile strength and 1/3 of its elongation at break after a 6-week exposure period. The infrared analysis and DSC measurements further proved the UV protection of the ZnO coatings. The results show that a nanometre scale ZnO coating deposited by ALD is a promising option when a transparent UV protection layer is sought for polymer substrates. - Highlights: • Atomic layer deposited zinc oxide coatings were used as UV protection layers. • Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film was well protected against UV light. • Formation of UV degradation products in BOPP was significantly reduced. • Mechanical properties of the UV exposed BOPP film were significantly improved.

Synthesis and characterization of porous structured ZnO thin film for dye sensitized solar cell applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marimuthu, T.; Anandhan, N., E-mail: anandhan-kn@rediffmail.com; Mummoorthi, M. [School of Physics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi – 630 003 (India); Dharuman, V. [Department of Bioelectronics and Biosensors, Alagappa University, Karaikudi – 630 003 (India)

2016-05-23

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and zinc oxide/eosin yellow (ZnO/EY) thin films were potentiostatically deposited onto fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate. Effect of eosin yellow dye on structural, morphological and optical properties was studied. X-ray diffraction patterns, micro Raman spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectra reveal hexagonal wurtzite structure with less atomic defects in 101 plane orientation of the ZnO/EY film. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show flower for ZnO and porous like structure for ZnO/EY thin film, respectively. DSSC was constructed and evaluated by measuring the current density verses voltage curve.

Photovoltaic properties of undoped ZnO thin films prepared by the spray pyrolysis technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ikhmayies, S.J. [Applied Science Private Univ., Amman (Jordan). Dept. of Physics; Abu El-Haija, N.M.; Ahmad-Bitar, R.N. [Jordan Univ., Amman (Jordan). Dept. of Physics

2009-07-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) can be used as a window material, transparent electrode and active layer in different types of solar cells, UV emitters, and UV sensors. In addition to being low cost, ZnO is more abundant than indium tin oxide. ZnO is non toxic and has a high chemical stability in reduction environments. When ZnO films are made without any intentional doping, they exhibit n-type conductivity. ZnO thin films can be prepared by reactive sputtering, laser ablation, chemical-vapour deposition, laser molecular-beam epitaxy, thermal evaporation, sol-gel, atomic layer deposition and spray pyrolysis, with the latter being simple, inexpensive and adaptable to large area depositions. In this work ZnCl{sub 2} was used as a source of Zn where it was dissolved in distilled water. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the films were investigated due to their important characteristic for solar cell applications. Polycrystalline ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrate by spray pyrolysis using a home-made spraying system at substrate temperature of 450 degrees C. The films were characterized by recording and analyzing their I-V plots, their transmittance, X-ray diffraction and SEM micrographs. There resistivity was found to be about 200 ohms per cm and their bandgap energy about 3.27 eV. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the films have a hexagonal wurtzite structure and are highly ordered with a preferential orientation (002). SEM images revealed that the substrates are continuously covered and the surface of the film is uniform. 16 refs., 4 figs.

Microstructure and optical properties of nanocrystalline ZnO and ZnO:(Li or Al) thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oral, A. Yavuz [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Gebze Institute of Technology, Gebze 41400 (Turkey)]. E-mail: aoral@gyte.edu.tr; Bahsi, Z. Banu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Gebze Institute of Technology, Gebze 41400 (Turkey); Aslan, M. Hasan [Department of Physics, Gebze Institute of Technology, Gebze 41400 (Turkey)

2007-03-15

Zinc oxide thin films (ZnO, ZnO:Li, ZnO:Al) were deposited on glass substrates by a sol-gel technique. Zinc acetate, lithium acetate, and aluminum chloride were used as metal ion sources in the precursor solutions. XRD analysis revealed that Li doped and undoped ZnO films formed single phase zincite structure in contrast to Al:ZnO films which did not fully crystallize at the annealing temperature of 550 deg. C. Crystallized films had a grain size under 50 nm and showed c-axis grain orientation. All films had a very smooth surface with RMS surface roughness values between 0.23 and 0.35 nm. Surface roughness and optical band tail values increased by Al doping. Compared to undoped ZnO films, Li doping slightly increased the optical band gap of the films.

Femtosecond pulse laser-induced self-organized nanostructures on the surface of ZnO crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong Minjian; Guo Guanglei; Yang Junyi; Ma Ninghua; Ye Guo; Ma Hongliang; Guo Xiaodong; Li Ruxin

2008-01-01

This paper reports self-organized nanostructures observed on the surface of ZnO crystal after irradiation by a focused beam of a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser with a repetition rate of 250 kHz. For a linearly polarized femtosecond laser, the periodic nanograting structure on the ablation crater surface was promoted. The period of self-organization structures is about 180 nm. The grating orientation is adjusted by the laser polarization direction. A long range Bragg-like grating is formed by moving the sample at a speed of 10 μm/s. For a circularly polarized laser beam, uniform spherical nanoparticles were formed as a result of Coulomb explosion during the interaction of near-infrared laser with ZnO crystal

Carbon doped ZnO: Synthesis, characterization and interpretation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishra, D.K.; Mohapatra, J.; Sharma, M.K.; Chattarjee, R.; Singh, S.K.; Varma, Shikha; Behera, S.N.; Nayak, Sanjeev K.; Entel, P.

2013-01-01

A novel thermal plasma in-flight technique has been adopted to synthesize nanocrystalline ZnO and carbon doped nanocrystalline ZnO matrix. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies on these samples show the average particle sizes to be around 32 nm for ZnO and for carbon doped ZnO. An enhancement of saturation magnetization in nanosized carbon doped ZnO matrix by a factor of 3.8 has been found in comparison to ZnO nanoparticles at room temperature. Raman measurement clearly indicates the presence of Zn–C complexes surrounded by ZnO matrix in carbon doped ZnO. This indicates that the ferromagnetic signature in carbon doped ZnO arises from the creation of defects or the development of oxy-carbon clusters, in the carbon doped ZnO system. Theoretical studies based on density functional theory also support the experimental analyses. - Highlights: ► Synthesis of nanocrystalline ZnO and carbon doped ZnO matrix by inflight thermal plasma reactor. ► Enhancement of ferromagnetism in nanosized carbon doped ZnO in comparison to ZnO nanoparticles. ► Raman measurement indicates the presence of Zn–C complexes surrounded by ZnO matrix. ► Ferromagnetic signature in carbon doped ZnO arises from the development of oxy-carbon clusters. ► DFT supports experimental evidence of ferromagnetism in C doped ZnO nanoparticles.

Stretchable Random Lasers with Tunable Coherent Loops.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Tzu-Min; Wang, Cih-Su; Liao, Chi-Shiun; Lin, Shih-Yao; Perumal, Packiyaraj; Chiang, Chia-Wei; Chen, Yang-Fang

2015-12-22

Stretchability represents a key feature for the emerging world of realistic applications in areas, including wearable gadgets, health monitors, and robotic skins. Many optical and electronic technologies that can respond to large strain deformations have been developed. Laser plays a very important role in our daily life since it was discovered, which is highly desirable for the development of stretchable devices. Herein, stretchable random lasers with tunable coherent loops are designed, fabricated, and demonstrated. To illustrate our working principle, the stretchable random laser is made possible by transferring unique ZnO nanobrushes on top of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer substrate. Apart from the traditional gain material of ZnO nanorods, ZnO nanobrushes were used as optical gain materials so they can serve as scattering centers and provide the Fabry-Perot cavity to enhance laser action. The stretchable PDMS substrate gives the degree of freedom to mechanically tune the coherent loops of the random laser action by changing the density of ZnO nanobrushes. It is found that the number of laser modes increases with increasing external strain applied on the PDMS substrate due to the enhanced possibility for the formation of coherent loops. The device can be stretched by up to 30% strain and subjected to more than 100 cycles without loss in laser action. The result shows a major advance for the further development of man-made smart stretchable devices.

Effects of Cr-doping on the photoluminescence and ferromagnetism at room temperature in ZnO nanomaterials prepared by soft chemistry route

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Baiqi; Iqbal, Javed; Shan Xudong; Huang Guowei; Fu Honggang; Yu Ronghai; Yu Dapeng

2009-01-01

The pure and Cr-doped ZnO nanomaterials were prepared by soft chemistry route. The crystallinity and morphology of as-prepared ZnO nanomaterials were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), which show that Cr-doping could influence crystal and improve the oriented growth of ZnO nanomaterials. The amount of contents and valence state of Cr ions were investigated by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which demonstrate that the Cr ions are uniformly doped about 2 atm% in each nanowire and are in +3 valence state in doped ZnO nanomaterials. The effect of Cr-doping on the photoluminescence (PL) and magnetic properties of as-prepared ZnO nanomaterials were principally investigated at room temperature. The Cr-doping can adjust the energy level of ZnO nanocrystal and increase the amount of defects and oxygen vacancies, which lead to shift in the emission peak position in ultraviolet (UV) region and enhance the PL performance in visible light (VL) region of ZnO nanomaterials. In addition, the presence of Cr dopant in ZnO structures establishes the room-temperature ferromagnetism, which is possibly related to the existence of defects and oxygen vacancies as well as due to exchange interaction between Cr 3d and O 2p spin moments

P-type single-crystalline ZnO films obtained by (N,O) dual implantation through dynamic annealing process

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiyuan; Huang, Jingyun; Chen, Shanshan; Pan, Xinhua; Chen, Lingxiang; Ye, Zhizhen

2016-12-01

Single-crystalline ZnO films were grown on a-plane sapphire substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy technique. The films have been implanted with fixed fluence of 120 keV N and 130 keV O ions at 460 °C. Hall measurements show that the dually-implanted single-crystalline ZnO films exhibit p-type characteristics with hole concentration in the range of 2.1 × 1018-1.1 × 1019 cm-3, hole mobilities between 1.6 and 1.9 cm2 V-1 s-1, and resistivities in the range of 0.353-1.555 Ω cm. The ZnO films exhibit (002) (c-plane) orientation as identified by the X-ray diffraction pattern. It is confirmed that N ions were effectively implanted by SIMS results. Raman spectra, polarized Raman spectra, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results reflect that the concentration of oxygen vacancies is reduced, which is attributed to O ion implantation. It is concluded that N and O implantation and dynamic annealing play a critical role in forming p-type single-crystalline ZnO films.

Nanostructured ‘Anastacia’ flowers for Zn coating by electrodepositing ZnO at room temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alves, Marta M., E-mail: martamalves@tecnico.ulisboa.pt [ICEMS Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1049-001, Lisboa (Portugal); Santos, Catarina F.; Carmezim, Maria J. [ICEMS Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1049-001, Lisboa (Portugal); EST Setúbal, DEM, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Campus IPS, 2910 Setúbal (Portugal); Montemor, Maria F. [ICEMS Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1049-001, Lisboa (Portugal)

2015-03-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Functional coating of Zn with ZnO ‘Anastacia’ flowers. • Flowers are composed by nano-hexagonal units of single-crystal wurtzite ZnO. • The growth mechanism of these flowers is discussed. • Room temperature yield cost-effective electrodeposited ZnO ‘Anastacia’ flowers. - Abstract: Functional coatings composed of ZnO, a new flowered structured denominated as ‘Anastacia’ flowers, were successfully obtained through a facile and green one-step electrodeposition approach on Zn substrate. Electrodeposition was performed at constant cathodic potential, in Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} aqueous solution, at pH 6 and at room temperature. The resulting ZnO thin uniform layer, with an average thickness of 300 nm, bearing top 3D hierarchical nanostructures that compose ‘Anastacia’ flowers, was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman. The results reveal a nano-architecture structure composed by nano-hexagonal units of single-crystal wurtzite ZnO structure with a [0 0 0 1] growth direction along the longitudinal particles axis. Other morphological features, sphere-like, rod-like and random distributed hexagons were also obtained by varying the electrodeposition time as observed by SEM. The Raman spectroscopy revealed the typical peak of ZnO wurtzite for all the obtained morphologies. Coatings wettability was studied and the different morphologies display distinct water contact angles with the ‘Anastacia’ flowers coating showing a wettability of 110°. These results pave the way for simple and low-cost routes for the production of novel functionalized coatings of ZnO over Zn, with potential for biomedical devices.

Nanostructured ‘Anastacia’ flowers for Zn coating by electrodepositing ZnO at room temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alves, Marta M.; Santos, Catarina F.; Carmezim, Maria J.; Montemor, Maria F.

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Functional coating of Zn with ZnO ‘Anastacia’ flowers. • Flowers are composed by nano-hexagonal units of single-crystal wurtzite ZnO. • The growth mechanism of these flowers is discussed. • Room temperature yield cost-effective electrodeposited ZnO ‘Anastacia’ flowers. - Abstract: Functional coatings composed of ZnO, a new flowered structured denominated as ‘Anastacia’ flowers, were successfully obtained through a facile and green one-step electrodeposition approach on Zn substrate. Electrodeposition was performed at constant cathodic potential, in Zn(NO 3 ) 2 aqueous solution, at pH 6 and at room temperature. The resulting ZnO thin uniform layer, with an average thickness of 300 nm, bearing top 3D hierarchical nanostructures that compose ‘Anastacia’ flowers, was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman. The results reveal a nano-architecture structure composed by nano-hexagonal units of single-crystal wurtzite ZnO structure with a [0 0 0 1] growth direction along the longitudinal particles axis. Other morphological features, sphere-like, rod-like and random distributed hexagons were also obtained by varying the electrodeposition time as observed by SEM. The Raman spectroscopy revealed the typical peak of ZnO wurtzite for all the obtained morphologies. Coatings wettability was studied and the different morphologies display distinct water contact angles with the ‘Anastacia’ flowers coating showing a wettability of 110°. These results pave the way for simple and low-cost routes for the production of novel functionalized coatings of ZnO over Zn, with potential for biomedical devices

Effects of Annealing Temperature on Properties of Ti-Ga-Doped ZnO Films Deposited on Flexible Substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tao-Hsing; Chen, Ting-You

2015-11-03

An investigation is performed into the optical, electrical, and microstructural properties of Ti-Ga-doped ZnO films deposited on polyimide (PI) flexible substrates and then annealed at temperatures of 300 °C, 400 °C, and 450 °C, respectively. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results show that all of the films have a strong (002) Ga doped ZnO (GZO) preferential orientation. As the annealing temperature is increased to 400 °C, the optical transmittance increases and the electrical resistivity decreases. However, as the temperature is further increased to 450 °C, the transmittance reduces and the resistivity increases due to a carbonization of the PI substrate. Finally, the crystallinity of the ZnO film improves with an increasing annealing temperature only up to 400 °C and is accompanied by a smaller crystallite size and a lower surface roughness.

Effects of stabilizer ratio on photoluminescence properties of sol-gel ZnO nano-structured thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boudjouan, F.; Chelouche, A.; Touam, T.; Djouadi, D.; Khodja, S.; Tazerout, M.; Ouerdane, Y.; Hadjoub, Z.

2015-01-01

Nanostructured ZnO thin films with different molar ratios of MEA to zinc acetate (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0) have been deposited on glass substrates by a sol–gel dip coating technique. X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, UV–visible spectrophotometry and photoluminescence spectroscopy have been employed to investigate the effect of MEA stabilizer ratio on structural, morphological, absorbance and emission properties of the ZnO thin films. Diffraction patterns have shown that all the films are polycrystalline and exhibit a wurtzite hexagonal structure. The c axis orientation has been enhanced with increasing stabilizer ratio. SEM micrographs have revealed that the morphology of the ZnO films depend on stabilizer ratio. The UV–visible absorption spectra have demonstrated that the optical absorption is affected by stabilizer ratio. The photoluminescence spectra have indicated one ultraviolet and two visible emission bands (green and red), while band intensities are found to be dependent on stabilizer ratio. ZnO thin films deposited at MEA ratio of 1.0 show the highest UV emission while the minimum UV emission intensity is observed in thin films deposited at ratio of 0.5 and the maximum green has been recorded for films deposited at MEA ratio of 2.0. - Highlight: • c axis orientation increases with increasing MEA ratio. • The increase of MEA ration from 0.5 to 1.0 enhances greatly the UV emission. • The larger I UV /I visible is obtained for the MEA to Zn ratio of 1:1. • The MEA ratio of 0.5 favors the formation of large density of V zn . • The MEA ratio of 2.0 increases the V o density

A hierarchically assembled mesoporous ZnO hemisphere array and hollow microspheres for photocatalytic membrane water filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Jia Hong; Zhang, Xiwang; Du, Alan J; Bai, Hongwei; Ng, Jiawei; Sun, Darren

2012-05-28

A mesoporous ZnO hemisphere array has been prepared via a topotactic transition of Zn(4)(OH)(6)CO(3)·H(2)O (ZCHH) by chemical bath deposition. Each hemisphere is comprised of a radially oriented nanoflake shell grown on the hemispherical interior. Reaction time-dependent SEM analysis shows that the morphological formation of ZCHH involves a deposition-growth-secondary growth-redeposition procedure. Upon calcination, ZCHH readily decomposes to nanocrystalline wurtzite-phase ZnO without significant change in morphology, and the release of CO(2) and H(2)O from ZCHH creates an additional mesoporous structure in both hemispherical interior and nanoflake shell. A similar process but without using a substrate has been developed for synthesis of mesoporous ZnO hollow microspheres in powder form. Both the elaborated superstructured photocatalysts consisting of mesoporous nanoflakes have been demonstrated to exhibit excellent performances in the photocatalytic membrane filtration.

Current distributions in superconducting wires subject to a random orientation magnetic field, and corresponding to the Tokamak usual conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Artaud, J.F.

1994-01-01

The main themes of this thesis are: review of superconductivity principles; critical current in a random orientation magnetic field; the MHD model applied to superconductors (with comprehensive calculation of the field in a plate type conductor); the magnetization created by a variation of a random orientation magnetic field; the electric field in a superconductor in steady or quasi-steady state (MHD displacement, pinning and thermal effects). 145 figs., 166 refs

Spontaneous orientation-tuning driven by the strain variation in self-assembled ZnO-SrRuO{sub 3} heteroepitaxy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Yuanmin; Liu, Ruirui; Zhan, Qian, E-mail: qzhan@mater.ustb.edu.cn [Department of Material Physics and Chemistry, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Chang, Wei Sea [School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor 47500 (Malaysia); Yu, Rong [National Center for Electron Microscopy in Beijing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Wei, Tzu-Chiao [Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics and Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); He, Jr-Hau [Electrical Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (Saudi Arabia); Chu, Ying-Hao [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan (China); Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 105, Taiwan (China)

2015-11-09

Heteroepitaxial ZnO and SrRuO{sub 3} were grown on SrTiO{sub 3} (111) substrates and formed a self-assembled wurtzite-perovskite nanostructure. Spontaneous orientation-tuning of the SrRuO{sub 3} pillars was observed, with the growth direction changing from [111]{sub SRO} to [011]{sub SRO} as the film thickness increased, which is attributed to a misfit strain transition from the biaxial strain imposed by the SrTiO{sub 3} substrate to the vertical strain provided by the ZnO matrix. The [011]-SrRuO{sub 3} and [0001]-ZnO combination presents a favorable matching in the nanocomposite films, resulting in higher charge carrier mobility. This vertically integrated configuration and regulation on the crystallographic orientations are expected to be employed in designing multi-functional nanocomposite systems for applications in electronic devices.

Influence of the processing conditions on the structural properties of ZnO layers obtained by PECVD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kitova, S; Danev, G, E-mail: skitova@clf.bas.b [Institute of Optical Materials and Technology ' Acad. J. Malinowski' , Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev str., bl.109, 1113 Sofia (Bulgaria)

2010-11-01

The plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is a powerful and flexible instrument for depositing thin layers, nanocomposites or nanostructures. In this work ZnO layers have been grown by metal-organic PECVD (RF - 13.56 MHz) on Si wafers. Zn acetylacetonate has been used as a precursor and oxygen as oxidant. The influence of the oxygen content in gas mixture, the total pressure, substrate temperature and ZnO seed layer on the structural properties of the layers deposited on Si wafers has been studied. ZnO layer properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD data have shown that all layers are crystalline with hexagonal wurtzite structure. The crystallites are preferentially oriented along c-axis direction perpendicular to the substrate surfaces. The results obtained indicate that by controlling the oxygen content in gas mixture, the total pressure and substrate temperature during the film growth one can control the formation of c-axis phase and the crystallite grain size. Nanorods with good alignment, vertically orientated to the substrate surface can be observed in the layers deposited at low content of O{sub 2} in plasma at substrate temperature of 400 {sup o}C. Due to their structural characteristics these layers are potential materials for preparing chemical- and biosensors where inherently large surface to volume ratio of structured materials are important prerequisite for enhanced sensitivity.

Analysis on the energetics, magnetism and electronic properties in a 45° ZnO grain boundary doped with Gd

KAUST Repository

Devi, Assa Aravindh Sasikala; Roqan, Iman S.

2018-01-01

The structural stability and magnetic properties of a grain boundary (GB) formed by aligning two ZnO single crystals oriented at an angle of 45° is investigated by density functional theory, using generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and taking

Temperature-dependent polarized luminescence of exciton polaritons in a ZnO film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Toropov, A.A.; Nekrutkina, O.V.; Shubina, T.V. [Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 194021 (Russian Federation); Gruber, Th.; Kirchner, C. [Department of Semiconductor Physics, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm (Germany); Waag, A. [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Braunschweig Technical University, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Karlsson, K.F.; Monemar, B. [Linkoeping University, 581 83 Linkoeping (Sweden)

2005-02-01

We report on the studies of linearly polarized photoluminescence (PL) in a (0001) oriented ZnO epitaxial film, grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition on a GaN template. The emission of mixed longitudinal-transverse exciton polariton modes was observed up to 130 K that evidences polaritonic nature of the excitonic spectrum up to this elevated temperature. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Regulating effect of SiO2 interlayer on optical properties of ZnO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Linhua; Zheng, Gaige; Miao, Juhong; Su, Jing; Zhang, Chengyi; Shen, Hua; Zhao, Lilong

2013-01-01

ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films with periodic structure were prepared by electron beam evaporation technique. Regulating effect of SiO 2 interlayer with various thicknesses on the optical properties of ZnO/SiO 2 thin films was investigated deeply. The analyses of X-ray diffraction show that the ZnO layers in ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films have a wurtzite structure and are preferentially oriented along the c-axis while the SiO 2 layers are amorphous. The scanning electron microscope images display that the ZnO layers are composed of columnar grains and the thicknesses of ZnO and SiO 2 layers are all very uniform. The SiO 2 interlayer presents a significant modulation effect on the optical properties of ZnO thin films, which is reflected in the following two aspects: (1) the transmittance of ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films is increased; (2) the photoluminescence (PL) of ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films is largely enhanced compared with that of pure ZnO thin films. The ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films have potential applications in light-emitting devices and flat panel displays. -- Highlights: ► ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films with periodic structure were prepared by electron beam evaporation technique. ► The SiO 2 interlayer presents a significant modulation effect on the optical properties of ZnO thin films. ► The photoluminescence of ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films is largely enhanced compared with that of pure ZnO thin films. ► The ZnO/SiO 2 nanocomposite films have potential applications in light-emitting devices and flat panel displays

Highly transparent and conductive Sn/F and Al co-doped ZnO thin films prepared by sol–gel method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, Zhanchang; Luo, Junming; Tian, Xinlong; Wu, Shoukun; Chen, Chun; Deng, Jianfeng; Xiao, Chumin; Hu, Guanghui; Wei, Zhigang

2014-01-01

Highlights: • F/Sn and Al co-doped ZnO thin films were synthesized by sol–gel method. • The co-doped nanocrystals exhibit good crystal quality. • The origin of the photoluminescence emissions was discussed. • The films showed high transmittance and low resistivity. -- Abstract: Al doped ZnO, Al–Sn co-doped ZnO and Al–F co-doped ZnO nanocrystals were successfully synthesized onto glass substrates by the sol–gel method. The structure and morphology of the films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The results indicated that all the films were polycrystalline with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and exhibited a c-axis preferred orientation. The electrical and optical properties were also investigated by 4-point probe device and Uv–vis spectroscopy, room temperature photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectrum (Raman), respectively. The PL and Raman results suggested that the co-doped films with a very low defect concentration and exhibit a better crystallinity than AZO thin films. The XPS study confirmed the incorporation of Al, Sn and F ions in the ZnO lattice

Variation of microstructural and optical properties in SILAR grown ZnO thin films by thermal treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Valanarasu, S; Dhanasekaran, V; Chandramohan, R; Kulandaisamy, I; Sakthivelu, A; Mahalingam, T

2013-08-01

The influence of thermal treatment on the structural and morphological properties of the ZnO films deposited by double dip Successive ionic layer by adsorption reaction is presented. The effect of annealing temperature and time in air ambient is presented in detail. The deposited films were annealed from 200 to 400 degrees C in air and the structural properties were determined as a function of annealing temperature by XRD. The studies revealed that films were exhibiting preferential orientation along (002) plane. The other structural parameters like the crystallite size (D), micro strain (epsilon), dislocation density (delta) and stacking fault (alpha) of as-deposited and annealed ZnO films were evaluated and reported. The optical properties were also studied and the band gap of the ZnO thins films varied from 3.27 to 3.04 eV with the annealing temperature. SEM studies revealed that the hexagonal shaped grains with uniformly distributed morphology in annealed ZnO thin films. It has been envisaged using EDX analysis that the near stoichiometric composition of the film can be attained by thermal treatment during which microstructural changes do occur.

Growth and structural discrimination of cortical neurons on randomly oriented and vertically aligned dense carbon nanotube networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph Nick

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The growth of cortical neurons on three dimensional structures of spatially defined (structured randomly oriented, as well as on vertically aligned, carbon nanotubes (CNT is studied. Cortical neurons are attracted towards both types of CNT nano-architectures. For both, neurons form clusters in close vicinity to the CNT structures whereupon the randomly oriented CNTs are more closely colonised than the CNT pillars. Neurons develop communication paths via neurites on both nanoarchitectures. These neuron cells attach preferentially on the CNT sidewalls of the vertically aligned CNT architecture instead than onto the tips of the individual CNT pillars.

Fabrication of ZnO Nanowire Based Piezoelectric Generators and Related Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Opoku, Charles; Dahiya, Abhishek Singh; Oshman, Christopher; Cayrel, Frederic; Poulin-Vittrant, Guylaine; Alquier, Daniel; Camara, Nicolas

Using vertically grown hydrothermal ZnO nanowires, we demonstrate the assembly of fully functional piezoelectric energy harvesters on plastics substrates. A seedless hydrothermal process is employed for the growth of single crystalline vertically orientated ZnO NWs at around 100oC. Flexible NG are assembled using ∼7 μm thick PDMS polymer matrix on a 3x3cm substrate. A representative device with an active area of 4cm2 is characterised revealing average output voltage generation of ∼22mV (±1.2) and -32mV (±0.16) in the positive and negative cycles after 3-4mm periodic deflection at 20Hz. A power density of ∼288nW/cm3 is estimated for the device. It is envisaged that such energy scavengers may find potential applications targeting self-powered systems, sensors and on-body charging of electronics.

Structural, optical, and LED characteristics of ZnO and Al doped ZnO thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Sandeep, K. M.; Bhat, Shreesha; Dharmaprakash, S. M.

2017-05-01

ZnO (pristine) and Al doped ZnO (AZO) films were prepared using sol-gel spin coating method. The XRD analysis showed the enhanced compressive stress in AZO film. The presence of extended states below the conduction band edge in AZO accounts for the redshift in optical bandgap. The PL spectra of AZO showed significant blue emission due to the carrier recombination from defect states. The TRPL curves showed the dominant DAP recombination in ZnO film, whereas defect related recombination in Al doped ZnO film. Color parameters viz: the dominant wavelength, color coordinates (x,y), color purity, luminous efficiency and correlated color temperature (CCT) of ZnO and AZO films are calculated using 1931 (CIE) diagram. Further, a strong blue emission with color purity more than 96% is observed in both the films. The enhanced blue emission in AZO significantly increased the luminous efficiency (22.8%) compared to ZnO film (10.8%). The prepared films may be used as blue phosphors in white light generation.

Near band edge emission characteristics of sputtered nano-crystalline ZnO films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunj, Saurabh; Sreenivas, K.

2016-01-01

Sputtered zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films deposited on unheated glass substrate under different sputtering gas mixtures (Ar+O_2) have been investigated using X-ray diffraction and photo luminescence spectroscopy. Earlier reported studies on ZnO films prepared by different techniques exhibit either a sharp/broad near band edge (NBE) emission peak depending on the crystalline quality of the film. In the present study zinc oxide films, grown on unheated substrates, are seen to possess a preferred (002) orientation with a microstructure consisting of clustered nano-sized crystallites. The splitting in the near band edge emission (NBE) into three characteristic peaks is attributed to quantum confinement effect, and is observed specifically under an excitation of 270 nm. Deep level emission (DLE) in the range 400 to 700 nm is not observed indicating absence of deep level radiative defects.

Near band edge emission characteristics of sputtered nano-crystalline ZnO films

Science.gov (United States)

Kunj, Saurabh; Sreenivas, K.

2016-05-01

Sputtered zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films deposited on unheated glass substrate under different sputtering gas mixtures (Ar+O2) have been investigated using X-ray diffraction and photo luminescence spectroscopy. Earlier reported studies on ZnO films prepared by different techniques exhibit either a sharp/broad near band edge (NBE) emission peak depending on the crystalline quality of the film. In the present study zinc oxide films, grown on unheated substrates, are seen to possess a preferred (002) orientation with a microstructure consisting of clustered nano-sized crystallites. The splitting in the near band edge emission (NBE) into three characteristic peaks is attributed to quantum confinement effect, and is observed specifically under an excitation of 270 nm. Deep level emission (DLE) in the range 400 to 700 nm is not observed indicating absence of deep level radiative defects.

Near band edge emission characteristics of sputtered nano-crystalline ZnO films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kunj, Saurabh; Sreenivas, K. [Department of Physics & Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 INDIA (India)

2016-05-06

Sputtered zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films deposited on unheated glass substrate under different sputtering gas mixtures (Ar+O{sub 2}) have been investigated using X-ray diffraction and photo luminescence spectroscopy. Earlier reported studies on ZnO films prepared by different techniques exhibit either a sharp/broad near band edge (NBE) emission peak depending on the crystalline quality of the film. In the present study zinc oxide films, grown on unheated substrates, are seen to possess a preferred (002) orientation with a microstructure consisting of clustered nano-sized crystallites. The splitting in the near band edge emission (NBE) into three characteristic peaks is attributed to quantum confinement effect, and is observed specifically under an excitation of 270 nm. Deep level emission (DLE) in the range 400 to 700 nm is not observed indicating absence of deep level radiative defects.

Spectroscopic characterization and docking studies of ZnO nanoparticle modified with BSA

Science.gov (United States)

Ledesma, Ana E.; Chemes, Doly María; Frías, María de los Angeles; Guauque Torres, Maria del Pilar

2017-08-01

Nanoparticles (NP) into a biological environment are an interesting topic for diagnosis and therapy in applications for medicine or environment and the knowledge about this interaction is important from the perspective of safe use of nanomaterials. In the current study, we characterized the type of interaction and the orientation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorbed on ZnO nanoparticle surfaces as a function of size, using molecular docking. To probe experimentally different theoretical hypothesis about the interaction, ZnO-NPs were prepared in aqueous solution, and then were bioconjugated with BSA. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy confirm the spherical shape of NP and the irreversible adsorption of BSA on NP surface. Raman and Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) reveal that BSA interaction with ZnO nanoparticle produced a conformational rearrangement into protein, observing changes in Tyr and Trp environment, a minor percentage of α-helix structure and a more extended chain. The fluorescence analysis demonstrated that when BSA concentration higher than 30 μM is used the signal due to the self-oligomerization of protein overlaps with the ZnO nanoparticle emission. The results predicted that the most probable interaction site is near to domain IB and IIA and ionic interactions are the major responsible for the binding. Thermal stability studies reveals that the denaturalization temperature of BSA increase from 57 °C to 65 °C in presence of ZnO NP and their esterase-like activity was improved.

Laser molecular beam epitaxy of ZnO thin films and heterostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Opel, Matthias; Geprägs, Stephan; Althammer, Matthias; Brenninger, Thomas; Gross, Rudolf

2014-01-01

We report on the growth of epitaxial ZnO thin films and ZnO-based heterostructures on sapphire substrates by laser molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). We first discuss some recent developments in laser-MBE such as flexible ultraviolet laser beam optics, infrared laser heating systems or the use of atomic oxygen and nitrogen sources, and describe the technical realization of our advanced laser-MBE system. Then we describe the optimization of the deposition parameters for ZnO films such as laser fluence and substrate temperature and the use of buffer layers. The detailed structural characterization by x-ray analysis and transmission electron microscopy shows that epitaxial ZnO thin films with high structural quality can be achieved, as demonstrated by a small out-of-plane and in-plane mosaic spread as well as the absence of rotational domains. We also demonstrate the heteroepitaxial growth of ZnO-based multilayers as a prerequisite for spin transport experiments and the realization of spintronic devices. As an example, we show that TiN/Co/ZnO/Ni/Au multilayer stacks can be grown on (0 0 0 1)-oriented sapphire with good structural quality of all layers and well defined in-plane epitaxial relations. (paper)

Annealing impact on the structural and photoluminescence properties of ZnO thin films on Ag substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Linhua; Zheng, Gaige; Lai, Min; Pei, Shixin

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: The Gaussian fitting indicates that the PL spectra of the ZnO thin films include four emission peaks which are centered at 380, 520, 570 and 610 nm, respectively. The ZnO thin film deposited on an Ag substrate shows a stronger green emission and a weaker UV emission than the ZnO thin film directly deposited on a Si substrate annealed at 400 °C. With the rise of annealing temperature, the visible emission intensity and wavelength are largely changed. Highlights: • ZnO thin films have been prepared on Ag substrates by sol–gel method. • The Ag substrates have a great effect on the photoluminescence of ZnO thin films. • All the films exhibit three visible emission bands including green, yellow and red. • Annealing causes a large change of the visible emission intensity and wavelength. -- Abstract: In this work, ZnO thin films were prepared by sol–gel method on Ag substrates. The structural and optical properties of the films annealed at different temperatures were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence, respectively. The results of XRD showed that all the ZnO thin films had a wurtzite phase and were preferentially oriented along the c-axis direction. The sample annealed at 400 °C exhibited better crystalline quality than the ZnO thin film directly deposited on a Si substrate annealed at the same temperature. The photoluminescence spectra showed that ZnO thin films had an ultraviolet emission band and three visible emission bands including green, yellow and red band. The sample annealed at 400 °C exhibited a stronger green emission and a weaker ultraviolet emission compared with the ZnO thin film deposited on a Si substrate annealed at the same temperature. The difference of the luminescence properties was thought to be originated from different substrates. As for the ZnO films on Ag substrates, the increase of annealing temperature led to different changes of visible emissions

ZnO nanostructures directly grown on paper and bacterial cellulose substrates without any surface modification layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Saionara V; Gonçalves, Agnaldo S; Zaguete, Maria A; Mazon, Talita; Nogueira, Ana F

2013-09-21

In this report, hierarchical ZnO nano- and microstructures were directly grown for the first time on a bacterial cellulose substrate and on two additional different papers by hydrothermal synthesis without any surface modification layer. Compactness and smoothness of the substrates are two important parameters that allow the growth of oriented structures.

Spectroscopic characterization and docking studies of ZnO nanoparticle modified with BSA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ledesma, Ana E.; Chemes, Doly María; Frías, María de los Angeles; Guauque Torres, Maria del Pilar

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The ZnO NPs have synthesized at moderate temperature and conjugated with BSA to elucidate the characteristics of best binding site in the protein cavity. • The Docking studies have successfully applied to identify the amino acids residues involved in the interaction. • The cytotoxicity of ZnO NPs and ZnO-BSA NPs and esterase-like activity of the protein have evaluated, with very promising results for medical applications. - Abstract: Nanoparticles (NP) into a biological environment are an interesting topic for diagnosis and therapy in applications for medicine or environment and the knowledge about this interaction is important from the perspective of safe use of nanomaterials. In the current study, we characterized the type of interaction and the orientation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorbed on ZnO nanoparticle surfaces as a function of size, using molecular docking. To probe experimentally different theoretical hypothesis about the interaction, ZnO-NPs were prepared in aqueous solution, and then were bioconjugated with BSA. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy confirm the spherical shape of NP and the irreversible adsorption of BSA on NP surface. Raman and Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) reveal that BSA interaction with ZnO nanoparticle produced a conformational rearrangement into protein, observing changes in Tyr and Trp environment, a minor percentage of α-helix structure and a more extended chain. The fluorescence analysis demonstrated that when BSA concentration higher than 30 μM is used the signal due to the self-oligomerization of protein overlaps with the ZnO nanoparticle emission. The results predicted that the most probable interaction site is near to domain IB and IIA and ionic interactions are the major responsible for the binding. Thermal stability studies reveals that the denaturalization temperature of BSA increase from 57 °C to 65 °C in presence of ZnO NP and their esterase-like activity was

Spectroscopic characterization and docking studies of ZnO nanoparticle modified with BSA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ledesma, Ana E., E-mail: anael@unse.edu.ar [CITSE-UNSE, CONICET, FCEyT, RN 9, km 1125, 4206 Santiago del Estero (Argentina); Chemes, Doly María [INQUINOA, UNT, CONICET, FBQyF, San Lorenzo 456, San Miguel de Tucumán CPA T4000ILI, Tucumán (Argentina); Frías, María de los Angeles [Laboratory of Biointerphases and Biomimetic Systems, (CITSE) National University of Santiago del Estero and CONICET, 4206, RN 9- Km 1125, Santiago del Estero (Argentina); Guauque Torres, Maria del Pilar [CITSE-UNSE, CONICET, FCEyT, RN 9, km 1125, 4206 Santiago del Estero (Argentina)

2017-08-01

Highlights: • The ZnO NPs have synthesized at moderate temperature and conjugated with BSA to elucidate the characteristics of best binding site in the protein cavity. • The Docking studies have successfully applied to identify the amino acids residues involved in the interaction. • The cytotoxicity of ZnO NPs and ZnO-BSA NPs and esterase-like activity of the protein have evaluated, with very promising results for medical applications. - Abstract: Nanoparticles (NP) into a biological environment are an interesting topic for diagnosis and therapy in applications for medicine or environment and the knowledge about this interaction is important from the perspective of safe use of nanomaterials. In the current study, we characterized the type of interaction and the orientation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorbed on ZnO nanoparticle surfaces as a function of size, using molecular docking. To probe experimentally different theoretical hypothesis about the interaction, ZnO-NPs were prepared in aqueous solution, and then were bioconjugated with BSA. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy confirm the spherical shape of NP and the irreversible adsorption of BSA on NP surface. Raman and Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) reveal that BSA interaction with ZnO nanoparticle produced a conformational rearrangement into protein, observing changes in Tyr and Trp environment, a minor percentage of α-helix structure and a more extended chain. The fluorescence analysis demonstrated that when BSA concentration higher than 30 μM is used the signal due to the self-oligomerization of protein overlaps with the ZnO nanoparticle emission. The results predicted that the most probable interaction site is near to domain IB and IIA and ionic interactions are the major responsible for the binding. Thermal stability studies reveals that the denaturalization temperature of BSA increase from 57 °C to 65 °C in presence of ZnO NP and their esterase-like activity was

Effect of different sol concentrations on the properties of nanocrystalline ZnO thin films grown on FTO substrates by sol-gel spin-coating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ikhyun; Kim, Younggyu; Nam, Giwoong; Kim, Dongwan; Park, Minju; Kim, Haeun; Lee, Wookbin; Leem, Jaeyoung; Kim, Jongsu; Kim, Jin Soo

2014-01-01

Nanocrystalline ZnO thin films grown on fluorine-doped tinoxide (FTO) substrates were fabricated using the spin-coating method. The structural and the optical properties of the ZnO thin films prepared using different sol concentrations were investigated by using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) measurements, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrometry. The surface morphology of the ZnO thin films, as observed in the SEM images, exhibited a mountain-chain structure. XRD results indicated that the thin films were preferentially orientated along the direction of the c-axis and that the grain size of the ZnO thin films increased with increasing sol concentration. The PL spectra showed a strong ultraviolet emission peak at 3.22 eV and a broad orange emission peak at 2.0 eV. The intensities of deep-level emission (DLE) gradually increased with increasing sol concentration from 0.4 to 1.0 M. The transmittance spectra of the ZnO thin films showed that the ZnO thin films were transparent (∼85%) in the visible region and exhibited sharp absorption edges at 375 nm. Thus, The Urbach energy of ZnO thin films decreased with increasing sol concentration.

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sáenz-Trevizo, A.; Amézaga-Madrid, P.; Fuentes-Cobas, L.; Pizá-Ruiz, P.; Antúnez-Flores, W.; Ornelas-Gutiérrez, C. [Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C., Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31109 (Mexico); Pérez-García, S.A. [Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C., Unidad Monterrey, Apodaca, Nuevo León 66600 (Mexico); Miki-Yoshida, M., E-mail: mario.miki@cimav.edu.mx [Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C., Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31109 (Mexico)

2014-12-15

ZnO nanorods were synthesized by aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition onto TiO{sub 2} covered borosilicate glass substrates. Deposition parameters were optimized and kept constant. Solely the effect of different nozzle velocities on the growth of ZnO nanorods was evaluated in order to develop a dense and uniform structure. The crystalline structure was characterized by conventional X-ray diffraction in grazing incidence and Bragg–Brentano configurations. In addition, two-dimensional grazing incidence synchrotron radiation diffraction was employed to determine the preferred growth direction of the nanorods. Morphology and growth characteristics analyzed by electron microscopy were correlated with diffraction outcomes. Chemical composition was established by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction results and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed the presence of wurtzite ZnO and anatase TiO{sub 2} phases. Morphological changes noticed when the deposition velocity was lowered to the minimum, indicated the formation of relatively vertically oriented nanorods evenly distributed onto the TiO{sub 2} buffer film. By coupling two-dimensional X-ray diffraction and computational modeling with ANAELU it was proved that a successful texture determination was achieved and confirmed by scanning electron microscopy analysis. Texture analysis led to the conclusion of a preferred growth direction in [001] having a distribution width Ω = 20° ± 2°. - Highlights: • Uniform and pure single-crystal ZnO nanorods were obtained by AACVD technique. • Longitudinal and transversal axis parallel to the [001] and [110] directions, respectively. • Texture was determined by 2D synchrotron diffraction and electron microscopy analysis. • Nanorods have its [001] direction distributed close to the normal of the substrate. • Angular spread about the preferred orientation is 20° ± 2°.

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

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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.

Al and Fe co-doped transparent conducting ZnO thin film for mediator-less biosensing application

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Shibu Saha

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Highly c-axis oriented Al and Fe co-doped ZnO (ZAF thin film is prepared by pulsed laser deposition. Fe introduces redox centre along with shallow donor level while Al doping enhances conductivity of ZnO, thus removing the requirement of both mediator and bottom conducting layer in bioelectrode. Model enzyme (glucose oxidase, was immobilized on surface of ZAF matrix. Cyclic voltammetry and photometric assay show that prepared bio-electrode is sensitive to glucose concentration with enhanced response of 0.18 μAmM-1cm-2 and low Km ∼ 2.01 mM. The results illustrate that ZAF is an attractive matrix for realization of miniaturized mediator-less solid state biosensor.

Nanoscale charge localization induced by random orientations of organic molecules in hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbI3

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Jie; Wang, Lin-Wang

2015-03-01

Perovskite-based solar cells have achieved high solar-energy conversion efficiencies and attracted wide attentions nowadays. Despite the rapid progress in solar-cell devices, many fundamental issues of the hybrid perovskites have not been fully understood. Experimentally, it is well known that in CH3NH3PbI3, the organic molecules CH3NH3 are randomly orientated at the room temperature, but the impact of the random molecular orientation has not been investigated. Using linear-scaling ab-initiomethods, we have calculated the electronic structures of the tetragonal phase of CH3NH3PbI3 with randomly orientated organic molecules in large supercells up to ~20,000 atoms. Due to the dipole moment of the organic molecule, the random orientation creates a novel system with long-range potential fluctuations unlike alloys or other conventional disordered systems. We find that the charge densities of the conduction-band minimum and the valence-band maximum are localized separately in nanoscales due to the potential fluctuations. The charge localization causes electron-hole separation and reduces carrier recombination rates, which may contribute to the long carrier lifetime observed in experiments. We have also proposed a model to explain the charge localization.

ZnO THIN FILMS PREPARED BY SPRAY-PYROLYSIS TECHNIQUE FROM ORGANO-METALLIC PRECURSOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Mikulics

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Presented experiments utilize methanolic solution of zinc acetyl-acetonate as a precursor and sapphire (001 as a substrate for deposition of thin films of ZnO. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed polycrystalline character of prepared films with preferential growth orientation along c-axis. The roughness of prepared films was assessed by AFM microscopy and represented by roughness root mean square (RMS value in range of 1.8 - 433 nm. The surface morphology was mapped by scanning electron microscopy showing periodical structure with several local defects. The optical transmittance spectrum of ZnO films was measured in wavelength range of 200-1000 nm. Prepared films are transparent in visible range with sharp ultra-violet cut-off at approximately 370 nm. Raman spectroscopy confirmed wurtzite structure and the presence of compressive stress within its structure as well as the occurrence of oxygen vacancies. The four-point Van der Pauw method was used to study the transport prosperities. The resistivity of presented ZnO films was found 8 × 10–2 Ω cm with carrier density of 1.3 × 1018 cm–3 and electron mobility of 40 cm2 V–1 s–1.

Parametric analysis of the growth of colloidal ZnO nanoparticles synthesized in alcoholic medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fonseca, A. S.; Figueira, P. A.; Pereira, A. S.; Santos, R. J.; Trindade, T.; Nunes, M. I.

2017-01-01

The growth kinetics of nanosized ZnO was studied considering the influence of different parameters (mixing degree, temperature, alcohol chain length, reactant concentration and Zn/OH ratios) on the synthesis reaction and modelling the outputs using typical kinetic growth models, which were then evaluated by means of a sensitivity analysis. The Zn/OH ratio, the temperature and the alcohol chain length were found to be essential parameters to control the growth of ZnO nanoparticles, whereas zinc acetate concentration (for Zn/OH = 0.625) and the stirring during the ageing stage were shown to not have significant influence on the particle size growth. This last operational parameter was for the first time investigated for nanoparticles synthesized in 1-pentanol, and it is of outmost importance for the implementation of continuous industrial processes for mass production of nanosized ZnO and energy savings in the process. Concerning the nanoparticle growth modelling, the results show a different pattern from the more commonly accepted diffusion-limited Ostwald ripening process, i.e. the Lifshitz–Slyozov–Wagner (LSW) model. Indeed, this study shows that oriented attachment occurs during the early stages whereas for the later stages the particle growth is well represented by the LSW model. This conclusion contributes to clarify some controversy found in the literature regarding the kinetic model which better represents the ZnO NPs’ growth in alcoholic medium.

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.

Parametric analysis of the growth of colloidal ZnO nanoparticles synthesized in alcoholic medium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fonseca, A. S. [National Research Centre for the Working Environment (Denmark); Figueira, P. A.; Pereira, A. S. [Universidade de Aveiro, Departamento de Química—CICECO (Portugal); Santos, R. J. [Universidade do Porto, Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering-Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials (LSRE-LCM), Faculdade de Engenharia (Portugal); Trindade, T. [Universidade de Aveiro, Departamento de Química—CICECO (Portugal); Nunes, M. I., E-mail: isanunes@ua.pt [Universidade de Aveiro, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Dep. de Ambiente e Ordenamento (Portugal)

2017-02-15

The growth kinetics of nanosized ZnO was studied considering the influence of different parameters (mixing degree, temperature, alcohol chain length, reactant concentration and Zn/OH ratios) on the synthesis reaction and modelling the outputs using typical kinetic growth models, which were then evaluated by means of a sensitivity analysis. The Zn/OH ratio, the temperature and the alcohol chain length were found to be essential parameters to control the growth of ZnO nanoparticles, whereas zinc acetate concentration (for Zn/OH = 0.625) and the stirring during the ageing stage were shown to not have significant influence on the particle size growth. This last operational parameter was for the first time investigated for nanoparticles synthesized in 1-pentanol, and it is of outmost importance for the implementation of continuous industrial processes for mass production of nanosized ZnO and energy savings in the process. Concerning the nanoparticle growth modelling, the results show a different pattern from the more commonly accepted diffusion-limited Ostwald ripening process, i.e. the Lifshitz–Slyozov–Wagner (LSW) model. Indeed, this study shows that oriented attachment occurs during the early stages whereas for the later stages the particle growth is well represented by the LSW model. This conclusion contributes to clarify some controversy found in the literature regarding the kinetic model which better represents the ZnO NPs’ growth in alcoholic medium.

Heteroepitaxial Patterned Growth of Vertically Aligned and Periodically Distributed ZnO Nanowires on GaN Using Laser Interference Ablation

KAUST Repository

Yuan, Dajun

2010-08-23

A simple two-step method of fabricating vertically aligned and periodically distributed ZnO nanowires on gallium nitride (GaN) substrates is described. The method combines laser interference ablation (LIA) and low temperature hydrothermal decomposition. The ZnO nanowires grow heteroepitaxially on unablated regions of GaN over areas spanning 1 cm2, with a high degree of control over size, orientation, uniformity, and periodicity. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy are utilized to study the structural characteristics of the LIA-patterned GaN substrate in detail. These studies reveal the possible mechanism for the preferential, site-selective growth of the ZnO nanowires. The method demonstrates high application potential for wafer-scale integration into sensor arrays, piezoelectric devices, and optoelectronic devices. © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of the electrochemical technique on nanocrystalline ZnO electrodeposition, its structural, morphological and photoelectrochemical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chettah, Hamdane; Abdi, Djamila, E-mail: naimadjam@hotmail.com

2013-06-30

This article reports the influence of the electrochemical technique on the electrodeposition of nanoscopic zinc oxide from aqueous mixed bath of zinc nitrate and potassium chloride at 70 °C onto fluorine doped tin oxide coated glass substrates. ZnO thin films were elaborated via cyclic voltamperometry and chronoamperometry techniques. This study shows structural and morphological differences in films deposited according to both methods. Thin and adherent films obtained via cyclic voltamperometry have been obtained after 100 cycles, and those obtained using the chronoampermetric method grown at potential of − 1 V vs. Ag/AgCl during 1 h. The structural characterisation of such films was performed using X-ray diffraction, which showed the most important peaks of ZnO wurtzite structure with preferential orientation along the (002) axis for deposits obtained via cyclic voltamperometry presenting nanometric grain sizes (42 nm). Atomic force microscopy was used to study surface morphology and estimate the surface roughness factor for two deposits. Photoelectrochemical study indicates that both kinds of films had n-type electrical conductivity and presents high photoanodic-generated currents. - Highlights: • Zinc oxide films were electrodeposited on fluorine doped tin oxide substrates at 70 °C. • Two electrochemical techniques were used cyclic voltamperometry and chronoamperometry. • X-ray diffraction showed the most important peaks of ZnO wurtzite structure. • Preferential orientation along the (002) axis for cyclic voltamperometry films. • Deposits had n-type electrical conductivity and high photoanodic-generated currents.

Fabrication and characterization of solution processed vertically aligned ZnO microrods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gadallah, A.-S., E-mail: agadallah@niles.edu.eg [Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d’Instrumentation Optique, Institut Charles Delaunay, CNRS UMR 6279, Université de Technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France); Department of Laser Sciences and Interactions, National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences, Cairo University, 12613 Giza (Egypt)

2014-08-30

Simple and effective cost high quality vertically aligned densely packed ZnO microrods have been prepared using solution processed two-step deposition process, specifically sol–gel spin coating combined with chemical bath deposition. X-ray diffraction pattern and scanning electron microscope show that there has been preferential crystal orientation along c-axis and the growth of the microrods has occurred normal to the glass substrate and the facets of the these microrods are hexagons. Photoluminescence measurements showed an emission band in the UV region and another weak band in the visible region with the emission intensity of UV band grows superlinearly with the excitation intensity. The film shows an electrical resistivity of 136 Ω cm as evaluated from four-point probe method. The fabricated film has been used as UV detector through Au/SiO{sub 2}/ZnO structure on glass substrate as the structure shows higher current under illumination compared to without illumination.

Facile synthesis of one dimensional ZnO nanostructures for DSSC applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marimuthu, T.; Anandhan, N.

2016-01-01

Development of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructure based third generation dye sensitized solar cell is interesting compared to conventional silicon solar cells. ZnO nanostructured thin films were electrochemically deposited onto fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate. The effect of ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) on structural, morphological and optical properties is investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) meter, field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and micro Raman spectroscopy. XRD patterns reveal that the prepared nanostructures are hexagonal wutrzite structures with (101) plane orientation, the nanostructure prepared using EDTA exhibits better crystallinity. FE-SEM images illustrate that the morphological changes are observed from nanorod structure to cauliflower like structure as EDTA is added. Micro Raman spectra predict that cauliflower like structure possesses a higher crystalline nature with less atomic defects compared to nanorod structures. Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is constructed for the optimized cauliflower structure, and open circuit voltage, short circuit density, fill factor and efficiency are estimated from the J-V curve.

Facile synthesis of one dimensional ZnO nanostructures for DSSC applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marimuthu, T.; Anandhan, N., E-mail: anandhan-kn@rediffmail.com [Advanced Materials and Thin Film Physics Lab, School of Physics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi – 630 003, India. (India)

2016-05-06

Development of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructure based third generation dye sensitized solar cell is interesting compared to conventional silicon solar cells. ZnO nanostructured thin films were electrochemically deposited onto fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate. The effect of ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) on structural, morphological and optical properties is investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) meter, field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and micro Raman spectroscopy. XRD patterns reveal that the prepared nanostructures are hexagonal wutrzite structures with (101) plane orientation, the nanostructure prepared using EDTA exhibits better crystallinity. FE-SEM images illustrate that the morphological changes are observed from nanorod structure to cauliflower like structure as EDTA is added. Micro Raman spectra predict that cauliflower like structure possesses a higher crystalline nature with less atomic defects compared to nanorod structures. Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is constructed for the optimized cauliflower structure, and open circuit voltage, short circuit density, fill factor and efficiency are estimated from the J-V curve.

Reducing ZnO nanoparticles toxicity through silica coating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sing Ling Chia

2016-10-01

Full Text Available ZnO NPs have good antimicrobial activity that can be utilized as agents to prevent harmful microorganism growth in food. However, the use of ZnO NPs as food additive is limited by the perceived high toxicity of ZnO NPs in many earlier toxicity studies. In this study, surface modification by silica coating was used to reduce the toxicity of ZnO NPs by significantly reducing the dissolution of the core ZnO NPs. To more accurately recapitulate the scenario of ingested ZnO NPs, we tested our as synthesized ZnO NPs in ingestion fluids (synthetic saliva and synthetic gastric juice to determine the possible forms of ZnO NPs in digestive system before exposing the products to colorectal cell lines. The results showed that silica coating is highly effective in reducing toxicity of ZnO NPs through prevention of the dissociation of ZnO NPs to zinc ions in both neutral and acidic condition. The silica coating however did not alter the desired antimicrobial activity of ZnO NPs to E. coli and S. aureus. Thus, silica coating offered a potential solution to improve the biocompatibility of ZnO NPs for applications such as antimicrobial agent in foods or food related products like food packaging. Nevertheless, caution remains that high concentration of silica coated ZnO NPs can still induce undesirable cytotoxicity to mammalian gut cells. This study indicated that upstream safer-by-design philosophy in nanotechnology can be very helpful in a product development.

Anomalous diffusion on 2d randomly oriented diode networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aydiner, E.; Kiymach, K.

2002-01-01

In this work, we have studied the diffusion properties of a randomly oriented two- dimensional diode network, using Monte Carlo Simulation method. The characteristic exponent α of the diffusion is obtained against the reverse transition probability W γ . We have found two critical values of W γ ; 0.003 and 0.4. α has been found to be 0.376 for W γ ≤ 0.003, and ≅ 1 for W γ ≥ 0.4 . For W γ >0.4 normal diffusion, and for 0.003≤W γ ≤0.4 anomalous sub-diffusion are observed. But for W γ ≤0.003 there seems to be no diffusion at all

ZnO Film Photocatalysts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bosi Yin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We have synthesized high-quality, nanoscale ultrathin ZnO films at relatively low temperature using a facile and effective hydrothermal approach. ZnO films were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM, X-ray diffraction (XRD, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra (PL, and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The products demonstrated 95% photodegradation efficiency with Congo red (CR after 40 min irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation experiments of methyl orange (MO and eosin red also were carried out. The results indicate that the as-obtained ZnO films might be promising candidates as the excellent photocatalysts for elimination of waste water.

Preparation of ZnO film on p-Si and I-V characteristics of p-Si/n-ZnO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shampa Mondal

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Zinc oxide (ZnO thin films were deposited on p-silicon (Si substrate from ammonium zincate bath following a chemical dipping technique called SILAR. Films in the thickness range 0.5-4.5 µm could be prepared by varying the number of dipping for a fixed concentration (0.125 M of zincate bath and fixed pH (11.00-11.10. Higher values of dipping produced nonadherent and poor quality films. Structural characterization by X-ray diffraction (XRD indicates the formation of polycrystalline single phase ZnO with strong c-axis orientation. The structural characteristics of the films were found to be a sensitive function of film thickness. The degree of orientation was found to be a function of film thickness and a maximum was found at around 2.2 µm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM reveals the formation of sub-micrometer crystallites on silicon substrate. The coverage of crystallites (grains on substrate surface increases with number of dipping. Dense film containing grains distributed throughout the surface is obtained at large thicknesses. The ohmic nature of silver (Ag on ZnO and Aluminum (Al on p-Si was confirmed by I-V measurements. I-V characteristic of the p-Si/n-ZnO heterojunction was studied and rectification was observed. The maximum value of forward to reverse current ratio was ~15 at 3.0 V.

Preparation of ZnO film on p-Si and I-V characteristics of p-Si/n-ZnO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shampa Mondal

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Zinc oxide (ZnO thin films were deposited on p-silicon (Si substrate from ammonium zincate bath following a chemical dipping technique called SILAR. Films in the thickness range 0.5-4.5 µm could be prepared by varying the number of dipping for a fixed concentration (0.125 M of zincate bath and fixed pH (11.00-11.10. Higher values of dipping produced nonadherent and poor quality films. Structural characterization by X-ray diffraction (XRD indicates the formation of polycrystalline single phase ZnO with strong c-axis orientation. The structural characteristics of the films were found to be a sensitive function of film thickness. The degree of orientation was found to be a function of film thickness and a maximum was found at around 2.2 µm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM reveals the formation of sub-micrometer crystallites on silicon substrate. The coverage of crystallites (grains on substrate surface increases with number of dipping. Dense film containing grains distributed throughout the surface is obtained at large thicknesses. The ohmic nature of silver (Ag on ZnO and Aluminum (Al on p-Si was confirmed by I-V measurements. I-V characteristic of the p-Si/n-ZnO heterojunction was studied and rectification was observed. The maximum value of forward to reverse current ratio was ~15 at 3.0 V.

Investigations of p-type signal for ZnO thin films grown on (100)GaAs substrates by pulsed laser deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rogers, D.J. [Nanovation SARL, Orsay (France); Univ. de Technologie de Troyes, Troyes (France); Hosseini Teherani, F. [Nanovation SARL, Orsay (France); Monteiro, T.; Soares, M.; Neves, A.; Carmo, M.; Correia, M.R. [Physics Dept., Univ. of Aveiro (Portugal); Pereira, S. [Physics Dept., Univ. of Aveiro (Portugal); Inst. Tecnologico e Nuclear, Sacavem (Portugal); Lusson, A. [Inst. d' Electronique Fondamentale, Orsay Univ. (France); LPSC - CNRS, Meudon (France); Alves, E.; Barradas, N.P. [Inst. Tecnologico e Nuclear, Sacavem (Portugal); Morrod, J.K.; Prior, K.A. [Physics Dept., Heriot Watt Univ., Edinburgh Scotland (United Kingdom); Kung, P.; Yasan, A.; Razeghi, M. [Center for Quantum Devices, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)

2006-03-15

In this work we investigated ZnO films grown on semi-insulating (100)GaAs substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Samples were studied using techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, temperature dependent photoluminescence, C-V profiling and temperature dependent Hall measurements. The Hall measurements showed a clear p-type response with a relatively high mobility ({proportional_to}260 cm{sup 2}/Vs) and a carrier concentration of {proportional_to}1.8 x 10{sup 19} cm{sup -3}. C-V profiling confirmed a p-type response. XRD and Raman spectroscopy indicated the presence of (0002) oriented wurtzite ZnO plus secondary phase(s) including (101) oriented Zn{sub 2}As{sub 2}O{sub 7}. The results suggest that significant atomic mixing was occurring at the film/substrate interface for films grown at substrate temperatures of 450 C (without post-annealing). (orig.)

Superhydrophobic Ag decorated ZnO nanostructured thin film as effective surface enhanced Raman scattering substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Jayram, Naidu Dhanpal; Sonia, S.; Poongodi, S.; Kumar, P. Suresh; Masuda, Yoshitake; Mangalaraj, D.; Ponpandian, N.; Viswanathan, C.

2015-11-01

The present work is an attempt to overcome the challenges in the fabrication of super hydrophobic silver decorated zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructure thin films via thermal evaporation process. The ZnO nanowire thin films are prepared without any surface modification and show super hydrophobic nature with a contact angle of 163°. Silver is further deposited onto the ZnO nanowire to obtain nanoworm morphology. Silver decorated ZnO (Ag@ZnO) thin films are used as substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) studies. The formation of randomly arranged nanowire and silver decorated nanoworm structure is confirmed using FESEM, HR-TEM and AFM analysis. Crystallinity and existence of Ag on ZnO are confirmed using XRD and XPS studies. A detailed growth mechanism is discussed for the formation of the nanowires from nanobeads based on various deposition times. The prepared SERS substrate reveals a reproducible enhancement of 3.082 × 107 M for Rhodamine 6G dye (R6G) for 10-10 molar concentration per liter. A higher order of SERS spectra is obtained for a contact angle of 155°. Thus the obtained thin films show the superhydrophobic nature with a highly enhanced Raman spectrum and act as SERS substrates. The present nanoworm morphology shows a new pathway for the construction of semiconductor thin films for plasmonic studies and challenges the orderly arranged ZnO nanorods, wires and other nano structure substrates used in SERS studies.

Pulsed laser deposited Al-doped ZnO thin films for optical applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gurpreet Kaur

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Highly transparent and conducting Al-doped ZnO (Al:ZnO thin films were grown on glass substrates using pulsed laser deposition technique. The profound effect of film thickness on the structural, optical and electrical properties of Al:ZnO thin films was observed. The X-ray diffraction depicts c-axis, plane (002 oriented thin films with hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. Al-doping in ZnO introduces a compressive stress in the films which increase with the film thickness. AFM images reveal the columnar grain formation with low surface roughness. The versatile optical properties of Al:ZnO thin films are important for applications such as transparent electromagnetic interference (EMI shielding materials and solar cells. The obtained optical band gap (3.2–3.08 eV was found to be less than pure ZnO (3.37 eV films. The lowering in the band gap in Al:ZnO thin films could be attributed to band edge bending phenomena. The photoluminescence spectra gives sharp visible emission peaks, enables Al:ZnO thin films for light emitting devices (LEDs applications. The current–voltage (I–V measurements show the ohmic behavior of the films with resistivity (ρ~10−3 Ω cm.

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 ...

Bilateral robotic priming before task-oriented approach in subacute stroke rehabilitation: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Yu-Wei; Wu, Ching-Yi; Wang, Wei-En; Lin, Keh-Chung; Chang, Ku-Chou; Chen, Chih-Chi; Liu, Chien-Ting

2017-02-01

To investigate the treatment effects of bilateral robotic priming combined with the task-oriented approach on motor impairment, disability, daily function, and quality of life in patients with subacute stroke. A randomized controlled trial. Occupational therapy clinics in medical centers. Thirty-one subacute stroke patients were recruited. Participants were randomly assigned to receive bilateral priming combined with the task-oriented approach (i.e., primed group) or to the task-oriented approach alone (i.e., unprimed group) for 90 minutes/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks. The primed group began with the bilateral priming technique by using a bimanual robot-aided device. Motor impairments were assessed by the Fugal-Meyer Assessment, grip strength, and the Box and Block Test. Disability and daily function were measured by the modified Rankin Scale, the Functional Independence Measure, and actigraphy. Quality of life was examined by the Stroke Impact Scale. The primed and unprimed groups improved significantly on most outcomes over time. The primed group demonstrated significantly better improvement on the Stroke Impact Scale strength subscale ( p = 0.012) and a trend for greater improvement on the modified Rankin Scale ( p = 0.065) than the unprimed group. Bilateral priming combined with the task-oriented approach elicited more improvements in self-reported strength and disability degrees than the task-oriented approach by itself. Further large-scale research with at least 31 participants in each intervention group is suggested to confirm the study findings.

Neutron monochromators of BeO, MgO and ZnO single crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adib, M.; Habib, N. [Reactor Physics Department, NRC, AEAE, Cairo (Egypt); Bashter, I.I. [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University (Egypt); Morcos, H.N.; El-Mesiry, M.S. [Reactor Physics Department, NRC, AEAE, Cairo (Egypt); Mansy, M.S., E-mail: mohamedmansy_np@yahoo.com [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University (Egypt)

2014-05-21

The monochromatic features of BeO, MgO and ZnO single crystals are discussed in terms of orientation, mosaic spread, and thickness within the wavelength band from 0.05 up to 0.5 nm. A computer program MONO, written in “FORTRAN”, has been developed to carry out the required calculations. Calculation shows that a 5 mm thick MgO single crystal cut along its (2 0 0) plane having mosaic spread of 0.5° FWHM has the optimum parameters when it is used as a neutron monochromator. Moreover, at wavelengths shorter than 0.24 nm the reflected monochromatic neutrons are almost free from the higher order ones. The same features are seen with BeO (0 0 2) with less reflectivity than that of the former. Also, ZnO cut along its (0 0 2) plane is preferred over the others only at wavelengths longer than 0.20 nm. When the selected monochromatic wavelength is longer than 0.24 nm, the neutron intensities of higher orders from a thermal reactor flux are higher than those of the first-order one. For a cold reactor flux, the first order of BeO and MgO single crystals is free from the higher orders up to 0.4 nm, and ZnO at wavelengths up to 0.5 nm. - Highlights: • Monochromatic features of BeO, MgO and ZnO single crystals. • Calculations of neutron reflectivity using a computer program MONO. • Optimum mosaic spread, thickness and cutting plane of single crystals.

Performance of Novel Randomly Oriented High Graphene Carbon in Lithium Ion Capacitors

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Rahul S. Kadam

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The structure of carbon material comprising the anode is the key to the performance of a lithium ion capacitor. In addition to determining the capacity, the structure of the carbon material also determines the diffusion rate of the lithium ion into the anode which in turn controls power density which is vital in high rate applications. This paper covers details of systematic investigation of the performance of a structurally novel carbon, called Randomly Oriented High Graphene (ROHG carbon, and graphite in a high rate application device, that is, lithium ion capacitor. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows that ROHG is less resistive and has faster lithium ion diffusion rates (393.7 × 10−3 S·s(1/2 compared to graphite (338.1 × 10−3 S·s(1/2. The impedance spectroscopy data is supported by the cell data showing that the ROHG carbon based device has energy density of 22.8 Wh/l with a power density of 4349.3 W/l, whereas baseline graphite based device has energy density of 5 Wh/l and power density of 4243.3 W/l. This data clearly shows advantage of the randomly oriented graphene platelet structure of ROHG in lithium ion capacitor performance.

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

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.

Synergistic effect of indium and gallium co-doping on the properties of RF sputtered ZnO thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Shaheera, M.; Girija, K. G.; Kaur, Manmeet; Geetha, V.; Debnath, A. K.; Karri, Malvika; Thota, Manoj Kumar; Vatsa, R. K.; Muthe, K. P.; Gadkari, S. C.

2018-04-01

ZnO thin films were synthesized using RF magnetron sputtering, with simultaneous incorporation of Indium (In) and Gallium (Ga). The structural, optical, chemical composition and surface morphology of the pure and co-doped (IGZO) thin films were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Raman spectroscopy. XRD revealed that these films were oriented along c-axis with hexagonal wurtzite structure. The (002) diffraction peak in the co-doped sample was observed at 33.76° with a slight shift towards lower 2θ values as compared to pure ZnO. The surface morphology of the two thin films was observed to differ. For pure ZnO films, round grains were observed and for IGZO thin films round as well as rod type grains were observed. All thin films synthesized show excellent optical properties with more than 90% transmission in the visible region and band gap of the films is observed to decrease with co-doping. The co doping of In and Ga is therefore expected to provide a broad range optical and physical properties of ZnO thin films for a variety of optoelectronic applications.

Optical properties and photocatalytic activities of spherical ZnO and flower-like ZnO structures synthesized by facile hydrothermal method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, Yongling [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, School of Petrochemical Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164 (China); Li, Zhongyu, E-mail: zhongyuli@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, School of Petrochemical Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164 (China); Changzhou Expansion New Stuff Technology Limited Company, Changzhou 213122 (China); Jilin Institute of Chemical Technology, Jilin 132022 (China); Xu, Song [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, School of Petrochemical Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164 (China); Han, Dandan; Lu, Dayong [Jilin Institute of Chemical Technology, Jilin 132022 (China)

2013-10-25

Highlights: •Spherical ZnO and flower-like ZnO were prepared via a facile hydrothermal method. •The as-prepared ZnO showed high photocatalytic activity over MO degradation. •The as-prepared ZnO were well crystallized and exhibited good optical properties. -- Abstract: Spherical ZnO and flower-like ZnO were prepared by facile hydrothermal method at 180 °C and 160 °C, respectively. The as-prepared samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) spectra. The optical properties of as-prepared sample, such as photoluminescence (PL) spectra and Raman spectra were studied. The photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared ZnO particles were investigated by degrading the methyl orange (MO) under UV light irradiation. The photocatalytic studies showed that the organic pollutants have been almost completely degraded and mineralized after irradiation of the UV light. These results indicated that the as-prepared ZnO particles exhibited good optical properties and high photocatalytic activities.

Large-scale uniform ZnO tetrapods on catalyst free glass substrate by thermal evaporation method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alsultany, Forat H., E-mail: foratusm@gmail.com [School of Physics, USM, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Hassan, Z. [Institute of Nano-Optoelectronics Research and Technology Laboratory (INOR), USM, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Ahmed, Naser M. [School of Physics, USM, 11800 Penang (Malaysia)

2016-07-15

Highlights: • Investigate the growth of ZnO-Ts on glass substrate by thermal evaporation method. • Glass substrate without any catalyst or a seed layer. • The morphology was controlled by adjusting the temperature of the material and the substrate. • Glass substrate was placed vertically in the quartz tube. - Abstract: Here, we report for the first time the catalyst-free growth of large-scale uniform shape and size ZnO tetrapods on a glass substrate via thermal evaporation method. Three-dimensional networks of ZnO tetrapods have needle–wire junctions, an average leg length of 2.1–2.6 μm, and a diameter of 35–240 nm. The morphology and structure of ZnO tetrapods were investigated by controlling the preparation temperature of each of the Zn powder and the glass substrate under O{sub 2} and Ar gases. Studies were carried out on ZnO tetrapods using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, UV–vis spectrophotometer, and a photoluminescence. The results showed that the sample grow in the hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferentially oriented along (002) direction, good crystallinity and high transmittance. The band gap value is about 3.27 eV. Photoluminescence spectrum exhibits a very sharp peak at 378 nm and a weak broad green emission.

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

Preparation, structural and luminescent properties of nanocrystalline ZnO films doped Ag by close space sublimation method

Science.gov (United States)

Khomchenko, Viktoriya; Mazin, Mikhail; Sopinskyy, Mykola; Lytvyn, Oksana; Dan'ko, Viktor; Piryatinskii, Yurii; Demydiuk, Pavlo

2018-05-01

The simple way for silver doping of ZnO films is presented. The ZnO films were prepared by reactive rf-magnetron sputtering on silicon and sapphire substrates. Ag doping is carried out by sublimation of the Ag source located at close space at atmospheric pressure in air. Then the ZnO and ZnO-Ag films were annealed in wet media. The microstructure and optical properties of the films were compared and studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL). XRD results indicated that all the ZnO films have a polycrystalline hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. The annealing and Ag doping promote increasing grain's sizes and modification of grain size distribution. The effect of substrate temperature, substrate type, Ag doping and post-growth annealing of the films was studied by PL spectroscopy. The effect of Ag doping was obvious and identical for all the films, namely the wide visible bands of PL spectra are suppressed by Ag doping. The intensity of ultraviolet band increased 15 times as compared to their reference films on sapphire substrate. The ultraviolet/visible emission ratio was 20. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) for a 380 nm band was 14 nm, which is comparable with that of epitaxial ZnO. The data implies the high quality of ZnO-Ag films. Possible mechanisms to enhance UV emission are discussed.

Distribution of orientation selectivity in recurrent networks of spiking neurons with different random topologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadeh, Sadra; Rotter, Stefan

2014-01-01

Neurons in the primary visual cortex are more or less selective for the orientation of a light bar used for stimulation. A broad distribution of individual grades of orientation selectivity has in fact been reported in all species. A possible reason for emergence of broad distributions is the recurrent network within which the stimulus is being processed. Here we compute the distribution of orientation selectivity in randomly connected model networks that are equipped with different spatial patterns of connectivity. We show that, for a wide variety of connectivity patterns, a linear theory based on firing rates accurately approximates the outcome of direct numerical simulations of networks of spiking neurons. Distance dependent connectivity in networks with a more biologically realistic structure does not compromise our linear analysis, as long as the linearized dynamics, and hence the uniform asynchronous irregular activity state, remain stable. We conclude that linear mechanisms of stimulus processing are indeed responsible for the emergence of orientation selectivity and its distribution in recurrent networks with functionally heterogeneous synaptic connectivity.

Acceptors in ZnO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCluskey, Matthew D., E-mail: mattmcc@wsu.edu; Corolewski, Caleb D.; Lv, Jinpeng; Tarun, Marianne C.; Teklemichael, Samuel T. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-2814 (United States); Walter, Eric D. [Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352 (United States); Norton, M. Grant; Harrison, Kale W. [School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-2920 (United States); Ha, Su [Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-6515 (United States)

2015-03-21

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has potential for a range of applications in the area of optoelectronics. The quest for p-type ZnO has focused much attention on acceptors. In this paper, Cu, N, and Li acceptor impurities are discussed. Experimental evidence indicates these point defects have acceptor levels 3.2, 1.4, and 0.8 eV above the valence-band maximum, respectively. The levels are deep because the ZnO valence band is quite low compared to conventional, non-oxide semiconductors. Using MoO{sub 2} contacts, the electrical resistivity of ZnO:Li was measured and showed behavior consistent with bulk hole conduction for temperatures above 400 K. A photoluminescence peak in ZnO nanocrystals is attributed to an acceptor, which may involve a Zn vacancy. High field (W-band) electron paramagnetic resonance measurements on the nanocrystals revealed an axial center with g{sub ⊥} = 2.0015 and g{sub //} = 2.0056, along with an isotropic center at g = 2.0035.

Surface saturation effect on mechanical and optical properties of ZnO nanowires

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S Yazdani

2012-09-01

Full Text Available  In this work, on the basis of density functional theory and the generalized gradient approximation (GGA we optimized the electronic structure of the unsaturated and hydrogen saturated ZnO nanowires with [0001] orientation. Studying the effects of a uniaxial strain on the nanowires, we calculated the Young’s modulus and the effective piezoelectric coefficient of the nanowires. Furthermore, the effect of this uniaxial strain on the imaginary part of dielectric function of the nanowires was investigated.

Real-Space x-ray tomographic reconstruction of randomly oriented objects with sparse data frames.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayyer, Kartik; Philipp, Hugh T; Tate, Mark W; Elser, Veit; Gruner, Sol M

2014-02-10

Schemes for X-ray imaging single protein molecules using new x-ray sources, like x-ray free electron lasers (XFELs), require processing many frames of data that are obtained by taking temporally short snapshots of identical molecules, each with a random and unknown orientation. Due to the small size of the molecules and short exposure times, average signal levels of much less than 1 photon/pixel/frame are expected, much too low to be processed using standard methods. One approach to process the data is to use statistical methods developed in the EMC algorithm (Loh & Elser, Phys. Rev. E, 2009) which processes the data set as a whole. In this paper we apply this method to a real-space tomographic reconstruction using sparse frames of data (below 10(-2) photons/pixel/frame) obtained by performing x-ray transmission measurements of a low-contrast, randomly-oriented object. This extends the work by Philipp et al. (Optics Express, 2012) to three dimensions and is one step closer to the single molecule reconstruction problem.

Photoluminescent ZnO Nanoparticles and Their Biological Applications

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Zheng-Yong Zhang

2015-05-01

Full Text Available During the past decades, numerous achievements concerning luminescent zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs have been reported due to their improved luminescence and good biocompatibility. The photoluminescence of ZnO NPs usually contains two parts, the exciton-related ultraviolet (UV emission and the defect-related visible emission. With respect to the visible emission, many routes have been developed to synthesize and functionalize ZnO NPs for the applications in detecting metal ions and biomolecules, biological fluorescence imaging, nonlinear multiphoton imaging, and fluorescence lifetime imaging. As the biological applications of ZnO NPs develop rapidly, the toxicity of ZnO NPs has attracted more and more attention because ZnO can produce the reactive oxygen species (ROS and release Zn2+ ions. Just as a coin has two sides, both the drug delivery and the antibacterial effects of ZnO NPs become attractive at the same time. Hence, in this review, we will focus on the progress in the synthetic methods, luminescent properties, and biological applications of ZnO NPs.

Low temperature fabrication of ZnO compact layer for high performance plastic dye-sensitized ZnO solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Fangyi; Xia Yujing; Guan Zisheng; Yin Xiong; He Tao

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► ZnO compact layer is prepared via simple electrochemical method at low temperature. ► Compact layer can effectively block electron transfer from TCO to electrolyte. ► DSC PCE is improved by 17% when ZnO compact layer is introduced. ► Plastic DSCs with ZnO compact layer show a PCE of 3.29% under AM1.5 100 mW cm −2 . ► The above efficiency is comparable to that with high temperature sintering step. - Abstract: ZnO compact layer has been fabricated on transparent conducting oxide glass and plastic polymer substrates at low temperature via electrodeposition. The results of dark current and cyclic voltammetric measurements demonstrate that the compact layer can effectively reduce the short circuit from transparent conducting oxide to electrolyte in dye-sensitized ZnO solar cells, leading to an increase of open-circuit photovoltage and fill factor of the devices and, thereby, the power conversion efficiency. The resultant plastic dye-sensitized ZnO solar cell presents an efficiency of 3.29% under illumination of 100 mW cm −2 , AM 1.5G. This indicates that electrodeposition is a viable method to fabricate ZnO compact layer for high performance flexible devices.

A comprehensive picture in the view of atomic scale on piezoelectricity of ZnO tunnel junctions: The first principles simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Genghong; Zhu, Jia; Jiang, Gelei; Sheng, Qiang; Zheng, Yue, E-mail: zhengy35@mail.sysu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Micro& Nano Physics and Mechanics Research Laboratory, School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Chen, Weijin [State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Micro& Nano Physics and Mechanics Research Laboratory, School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Sino-French Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082 (China); Wang, Biao, E-mail: wangbiao@mail.sysu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Sino-French Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082 (China)

2016-06-15

Piezoelectricity is closely related with the performance and application of piezoelectric devices. It is a crucial issue to understand its detailed fundamental for designing functional devices with more peculiar performances. Basing on the first principles simulations, the ZnO piezoelectric tunnel junction is taken as an example to systematically investigate its piezoelectricity (including the piezopotential energy, piezoelectric field, piezoelectric polarization and piezocharge) and explore their correlation. The comprehensive picture of the piezoelectricity in the ZnO tunnel junction is revealed at atomic scale and it is verified to be the intrinsic characteristic of ZnO barrier, independent of its terminated surface but dependent on its c axis orientation and the applied strain. In the case of the ZnO c axis pointing from right to left, an in-plane compressive strain will induce piezocharges (and a piezopotential energy drop) with positive and negative signs (negative and positive signs) emerging respectively at the left and right terminated surfaces of the ZnO barrier. Meanwhile a piezoelectric polarization (and a piezoelectric field) pointing from right to left (from left to right) are also induced throughout the ZnO barrier. All these piezoelectric physical quantities would reverse when the applied strain switches from compressive to tensile. This study provides an atomic level insight into the fundamental behavior of the piezoelectricity of the piezoelectric tunnel junction and should have very useful information for future designs of piezoelectric devices.

A comprehensive picture in the view of atomic scale on piezoelectricity of ZnO tunnel junctions: The first principles simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Genghong Zhang

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Piezoelectricity is closely related with the performance and application of piezoelectric devices. It is a crucial issue to understand its detailed fundamental for designing functional devices with more peculiar performances. Basing on the first principles simulations, the ZnO piezoelectric tunnel junction is taken as an example to systematically investigate its piezoelectricity (including the piezopotential energy, piezoelectric field, piezoelectric polarization and piezocharge and explore their correlation. The comprehensive picture of the piezoelectricity in the ZnO tunnel junction is revealed at atomic scale and it is verified to be the intrinsic characteristic of ZnO barrier, independent of its terminated surface but dependent on its c axis orientation and the applied strain. In the case of the ZnO c axis pointing from right to left, an in-plane compressive strain will induce piezocharges (and a piezopotential energy drop with positive and negative signs (negative and positive signs emerging respectively at the left and right terminated surfaces of the ZnO barrier. Meanwhile a piezoelectric polarization (and a piezoelectric field pointing from right to left (from left to right are also induced throughout the ZnO barrier. All these piezoelectric physical quantities would reverse when the applied strain switches from compressive to tensile. This study provides an atomic level insight into the fundamental behavior of the piezoelectricity of the piezoelectric tunnel junction and should have very useful information for future designs of piezoelectric devices.

Layered zinc hydroxide salts: Delamination, preferred orientation of hydroxide lamellae, and formation of ZnO nanodiscs

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Demel, Jan; Pleštil, Josef; Bezdička, Petr; Janda, Pavel; Klementová, Mariana; Lang, Kamil

2011-01-01

Roč. 360, č. 2 (2011), s. 532-539 ISSN 0021-9797 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ME09058; GA ČR GAP207/10/1447 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40320502; CEZ:AV0Z40500505; CEZ:AV0Z40400503 Keywords : layered zinc hydroxide * delamination * exfoliation * hydroxide layer * ZnO Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry Impact factor: 3.070, year: 2011

Trioctylphosphine-assisted morphology control of ZnO nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Yun-Kun; Cho, GeonHee; Park, YoonSu; Oh, Soong Ju; Ha, Don-Hyung

2018-06-01

This study investigates the morphological change in colloidal ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized with trioctylphosphine (TOP). The addition of TOP to the synthesis causes an evolution in the shape of ZnO NPs to tadpole-like particles from quasi-spherical particles at 300 °C. The total length of the tadpole-like ZnO NPs can be modified by controlling the molar ratio of TOP to oleylamine (OLAM). The tadpole-like particles are elongated as the concentration of TOP increased but decreased when the addition of TOP is excessive. These tadpole-like ZnO NPs transform to quasi-spherical NPs regardless of the amount of TOP at a reaction time of 3 h at 300 °C. At 200 °C, the effect of TOP on the ZnO NP synthesis differs from that at 300 °C. The ZnO NPs synthesized by controlling the molar ratios of surfactant ligands (TOP:OLAM = 2:100 and 70:100) at 200 °C share similar amorphous structures, while a crystalline ZnO phase is formed when the reaction time is 3 h. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis shows that TOP influences the oxidation of ZnO and suggests that a combination of OLAM and TOP plays a role in controlling the shape of ZnO NPs. These results provide critical insights to the utilization of TOP for a shape controlling ligand in ZnO NPs and suggest a new route to design oxide NPs.

ZnO Nanostructures for Tissue Engineering Applications

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Marco Laurenti

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This review focuses on the most recent applications of zinc oxide (ZnO nanostructures for tissue engineering. ZnO is one of the most investigated metal oxides, thanks to its multifunctional properties coupled with the ease of preparing various morphologies, such as nanowires, nanorods, and nanoparticles. Most ZnO applications are based on its semiconducting, catalytic and piezoelectric properties. However, several works have highlighted that ZnO nanostructures may successfully promote the growth, proliferation and differentiation of several cell lines, in combination with the rise of promising antibacterial activities. In particular, osteogenesis and angiogenesis have been effectively demonstrated in numerous cases. Such peculiarities have been observed both for pure nanostructured ZnO scaffolds as well as for three-dimensional ZnO-based hybrid composite scaffolds, fabricated by additive manufacturing technologies. Therefore, all these findings suggest that ZnO nanostructures represent a powerful tool in promoting the acceleration of diverse biological processes, finally leading to the formation of new living tissue useful for organ repair.

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.

In vitro antibacterial activity of ZnO and Nd doped ZnO nanoparticles against ESBL producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae

Science.gov (United States)

Hameed, Abdulrahman Syedahamed Haja; Karthikeyan, Chandrasekaran; Ahamed, Abdulazees Parveez; Thajuddin, Nooruddin; Alharbi, Naiyf S.; Alharbi, Sulaiman Ali; Ravi, Ganasan

2016-04-01

Pure ZnO and Neodymium (Nd) doped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by the co-precipitation method. The synthesized nanoparticles retained the wurtzite hexagonal structure. From FESEM studies, ZnO and Nd doped ZnO NPs showed nanorod and nanoflower like morphology respectively. The FT-IR spectra confirmed the Zn-O stretching bands at 422 and 451 cm-1 for ZnO and Nd doped ZnO NPs respectively. From the UV-VIS spectroscopic measurement, the excitonic peaks were found around 373 nm and 380 nm for the respective samples. The photoluminescence measurements revealed that the broad emission was composed of ten different bands due to zinc vacancies, oxygen vacancies and surface defects. The antibacterial studies performed against extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) producing strains of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae showed that the Nd doped ZnO NPs possessed a greater antibacterial effect than the pure ZnO NPs. From confocal laser scanning microscopic (CLSM) analysis, the apoptotic nature of the cells was confirmed by the cell shrinkage, disorganization of cell wall and cell membrane and dead cell of the bacteria. SEM analysis revealed the existence of bacterial loss of viability due to an impairment of cell membrane integrity, which was highly consistent with the damage of cell walls.

The influence of annealing in nitrogen atmosphere on the electrical, optical and structural properties of spray- deposited ZnO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ikhmayies, S.J. [Applied Science Private Univ., Amman (Jordan). Dept. of Physics; Abu El-Haija, N.M.; Ahmad-Bitar, R.N. [Jordan Univ., Amman (Jordan). Dept. of Physics

2009-07-01

Thin-film zinc oxide (ZnO) has many applications in solar cell technology and is considered to be a candidate for the substitution of indium tin oxide and tin oxide. ZnO thin films can be prepared by thermal evaporation, rf-sputtering, atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, sol-gel, laser ablation and spray pyrolysis technique. Spray pyrolysis has received much attention because of its simplicity and low cost. In this study, large area and highly uniform polycrystalline ZnO thin films were produced by spray pyrolysis using a home-made spraying system on glass substrates at 450 degrees C. The electrical, optical and structural properties of the ZnO films were enhanced by annealing the thin films in nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction revealed that the films are polycrystalline with a hexagonal wurtzite structure. The preferential orientation did not change with annealing, but XRD patterns revealed that some very weak lines had grown. There was no noticeable increase in the grain size. The transmittance of the films increased as a result of annealing. It was concluded that post-deposition annealing is essential to improve the quality of the ZnO thin films. The electrical properties improved due to a decrease in resistivity. 13 refs., 5 figs.

Neutron monochromators of BeO, MgO and ZnO single crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Adib, M.; Habib, N.; Bashter, I. I.; Morcos, H. N.; El-Mesiry, M. S.; Mansy, M. S.

2014-05-01

The monochromatic features of BeO, MgO and ZnO single crystals are discussed in terms of orientation, mosaic spread, and thickness within the wavelength band from 0.05 up to 0.5 nm. A computer program MONO, written in “FORTRAN”, has been developed to carry out the required calculations. Calculation shows that a 5 mm thick MgO single crystal cut along its (2 0 0) plane having mosaic spread of 0.5° FWHM has the optimum parameters when it is used as a neutron monochromator. Moreover, at wavelengths shorter than 0.24 nm the reflected monochromatic neutrons are almost free from the higher order ones. The same features are seen with BeO (0 0 2) with less reflectivity than that of the former. Also, ZnO cut along its (0 0 2) plane is preferred over the others only at wavelengths longer than 0.20 nm. When the selected monochromatic wavelength is longer than 0.24 nm, the neutron intensities of higher orders from a thermal reactor flux are higher than those of the first-order one. For a cold reactor flux, the first order of BeO and MgO single crystals is free from the higher orders up to 0.4 nm, and ZnO at wavelengths up to 0.5 nm.

Magnetic study of nanocrystalline 0.95MnO/0.05ZnO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guskos, N.; Dudek, M.; Zolnierkiewicz, G.; Typek, J.; Berczynski, P.; Lendzion-Bielun, Z.; Sibera, D.; Narkiewicz, U.

2013-01-01

Nanocrystalline 0.95MnO/0.05ZnO sample has been prepared by coprecipitation and calcination processes. X-ray diffraction showed the presence of Mn 3 O 4 nanocrystallites with an average size of 43 nm. Magnetic properties of the 0.95MnO/0.05ZnO sample have been investigated by dc magnetization and magnetic resonances (electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), ferromagnetic resonance (FMR)) methods. The magnetization study has shown the presence of dominating Mn 3 O 4 paramagnetic and ferrimagnetic (below 46 K) phases. The blocking temperature determined from magnetization measurements was 41 K. An FMR study has shown the evidence of the spread of nanoparticles sizes. An EPR signal from paramagnetic phase of Mn 3 O 4 was observed at temperatures above 45 K and from defects/spurious phases in the low temperature range (T<16 K). Magnetic anisotropies of the sample in the FMR spectra were taken into account by fitting the observed spectra by two lines corresponding to parallel and perpendicular orientations of nanoparticles in an applied magnetic field. - Highlights: ► Magnetic properties of 0.95MnO/0.05ZnO have been studied by dc magnetization and magnetic resonance. ► FMR and EPR spectra were identified and attributed to various spin systems. ► From the spread of blocking temperatures obtained from magnetic resonance the spread of nanoparticles sizes was estimated.

Simulation, fabrication and characterization of ZnO based thin film transistors grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Shaivalini; Chakrabarti, P

2012-03-01

We report the performance of the thin film transistors (TFTs) using ZnO as an active channel layer grown by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique. The bottom gate type TFT, consists of a conventional thermally grown SiO2 as gate insulator onto p-type Si substrates. The X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that the ZnO films are preferentially orientated in the (002) plane, with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. A typical ZnO TFT fabricated by this method exhibits saturation field effect mobility of about 0.6134 cm2/V s, an on to off ratio of 102, an off current of 2.0 x 10(-7) A, and a threshold voltage of 3.1 V at room temperature. Simulation of this TFT is also carried out by using the commercial software modeling tool ATLAS from Silvaco-International. The simulated global characteristics of the device were compared and contrasted with those measured experimentally. The experimental results are in fairly good agreement with those obtained from simulation.

A high speed PE-ALD ZnO Schottky diode rectifier with low interface-state density

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Jidong; Zhang, Jiawei; Shaw, Andrew; Kudina, Valeriya N.; Mitrovic, Ivona Z.; Wrench, Jacqueline S.; Chalker, Paul R.; Balocco, Claudio; Song, Aimin; Hall, Steve

2018-02-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has recently attracted attention for its potential application to high speed electronics. In this work, a high speed Schottky diode rectifier was fabricated based on a ZnO thin film deposited by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition and a PtOx Schottky contact deposited by reactive radio-frequency sputtering. The rectifier shows an ideality factor of 1.31, an effective barrier height of 0.79 eV, a rectification ratio of 1.17  ×  107, and cut-off frequency as high as 550 MHz. Low frequency noise measurements reveal that the rectifier has a low interface-state density of 5.13  ×  1012 cm-2 eV-1, and the noise is dominated by the mechanism of a random walk of electrons at the PtO x /ZnO interface. The work shows that the rectifier can be used for both noise sensitive and high frequency electronics applications.

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.

Size dependent emission stimulation in ZnO nanosheets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torchynska, T.V.; El Filali, B.

2014-01-01

Photoluminescence (PL), X ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman scattering have been studied in crystalline ZnO nanosheets (NSs) of different sizes, estimated by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). ZnO NSs with the size from the range of 60–600 nm were created by the electrochemical (anodization) method and followed thermal annealing at 400 °C for 2 h in ambient air. XRD study confirms the wurtzite structure of ZnO NSs and has revealed that the lattice parameters increase monotonically with decreasing NS sizes. Simultaneously the intensity of a set of Raman peaks increases and Raman peaks shift into the low energy range. The surface phonon has been detected in smallest size ZnO NSs. Two types of PL bands deal with a set of phonon replicas of free excitons and the defect related emission have been detected in ZnO NSs. The intensity enhancement of exciton- and defect-related PL bands with decreasing ZnO NS sizes has been detected. The intensity stimulation of exciton-related PL bands is attributed to the realization of the week confinement and the exciton-light coupling with the formation of polariton in small size ZnO NSs of 67–170 nm. The intensity rising of defect-related PL bands is attributed to the concentration enlargement of surface defects when the surface to volume ration increases at decreasing ZnO NS sizes. Numerical simulations of radiative lifetimes and exciton radiative recombination rates in ZnO NSs for different emission wavelengths have been done using the exciton-light coupling model. Then the experimental and numerically simulated PL results have been compared and discussed. - Highlights: • Optical and structural investigations of the ZnO nanosheets with the sizes 60–600 nm. • The enlargement of interplanar distances in the wurtzite ZnO crystal lattice is detected. • The change of optic phonon energy and surface phonon appearing are reveled. • ZnO emission stimulation at the week confinement and electron-light coupling with the

Growth and properties of ZnO films on polymeric substrate by spray pyrolysis method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kriisa, Merike; Kärber, Erki [Department of Materials Science, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia); Krunks, Malle, E-mail: malle.krunks@ttu.ee [Department of Materials Science, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia); Mikli, Valdek [Centre for Materials Research, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia); Unt, Tarmo; Kukk, Mart; Mere, Arvo [Department of Materials Science, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia)

2014-03-31

The growth of ZnO layers deposited by spray pyrolysis on polymeric substrate was studied. Zinc acetate precursor solution was sprayed onto preheated polyimide (PI) and glass reference substrates at 380 °C. The structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of the layers were measured by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, optical spectroscopy and van der Pauw and Hall method. ZnO:In layers could be grown on PI when deposited onto undoped ZnO layer acting as a buffer layer on PI. Independent of the substrate type, the ZnO/ZnO:In bilayer showed a mixed morphology from smooth canvas-like surface to large scrolled belt grains dependent on buffer layer morphology. Due to the formation of scrolled belts, the ZnO:In layer shows no preferential orientation, yet the preferred orientation of the ZnO buffer crystallites is (100) plane parallel to the substrate. The bilayers deposited on PI exhibit high light scattering capability (haze factor of 85–95% in the spectral region of 350–1500 nm). The resistivity of the ZnO:In film in bilayer on PI is 4.4 × 10{sup −2} Ω cm mainly due to low carrier mobility of 1.5 cm{sup 2}/Vs, the carrier concentration is 10{sup 20} cm{sup −3}. - Highlights: • ZnO:In layers were grown on polyimide substrate by spray pyrolysis. • The buffer layer morphology is controlled by the layer thickness and spray rate. • ZnO/ZnO:In bilayer morphology is dependent on the surface of buffer layer. • Rough buffer layer leads to rough bilayer with scrolled belts (diameter of 2–6 μm). • Due to scrolled belts layers show no preferential growth yet highly scatter light.

Structural, electrical, and dielectric properties of Cr doped ZnO thin films: Role of Cr concentration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gürbüz, Osman, E-mail: osgurbuz@yildiz.edu.tr; Okutan, Mustafa

2016-11-30

Highlights: • Magnetic material of Cr and semiconductor material of ZnO were grown by the magnetron sputtering co-sputter technique. • Perfect single crystalline structures were grown. • DC and AC conductivity with dielectric properties as a function of frequency (f = 5Hz–13 MHz) at room temperature were measured and compared. • Cr doped ZnO can be used in microwave, sensor and optoelectronic devices as the electrical conductivity increases while dielectric constant decreases with the Cr content. - Abstract: An undoped zinc oxide (ZnO) and different concentrations of chromium (Cr) doped ZnO Cr{sub x}ZnO{sub 1−x} (x = 3.74, 5.67, 8.10, 11.88, and 15.96) thin films were prepared using a magnetron sputtering technique at room temperature. These films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), High resolution scanning electron microscope (HR-SEM), and Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). XRD patterns of all the films showed that the films possess crystalline structure with preferred orientation along the (100) crystal plane. The average crystallite size obtained was found to be between 95 and 83 nm which was beneficial in high intensity recording peak. Both crystal quality and crystallite sizes decrease with increasing Cr concentration. The crystal and grain sizes of the all film were investigated using SEM analysis. The surface morphology that is grain size changes with increase Cr concentration and small grains coalesce together to form larger grains for the Cr{sub 11.88}ZnO and Cr{sub 15.96}ZnO samples. Impedance spectroscopy studies were carried out in the frequencies ranging from 5 Hz to 13 MHz at room temperature. The undoped ZnO film had the highest dielectric value, while dielectric values of other films decreased as doping concentrations increased. Besides, the dielectric constants decreased whereas the loss tangents increased with increasing Cr content. This was considered to be related to the reduction of grain size as Cr content in ZnO

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.

Power-dependent photocatalytic activity of ZnO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chun, So Yeon; Han, Noh Soo; Jeong, Seong Hyun; Park, Seung Min; Song, Jae Kyu [Dept. of Chemistry, Kyung Hee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Moon, Cheol Joo; Choi, Myong Yong [Dept. of Chemistry (BK21) and Research Institute of Natural Science, Gyeongsang NationalUniversity, Jinju (Korea, Republic of)

2017-03-15

the power-dependent photocatalytic activity of ZnO was examined for the photoreduction processes of Rh101 and AN in the presence of hole scavengers, where the fluorescence spectra were measured as a function of irradiation time and excitation intensity. The concentration of the reactants decreased, while the concentration of the products increased accordingly, which indicated the single-electron reduction process by electrons supplied from the conduction band of ZnO. Despite the single-electron process, the efficiency of the photoreaction depended nonlinearly on the excitation intensity, which was explained by the saturation of defect states in ZnO. The enhanced ratio of available electrons in ZnO led to a superlinear increase in the photoreduction efficiency, while the single-electron process linearly reflected the electrons available in ZnO.

Preparation, structural and optical characterization of ZnO, ZnO: Al nanopowder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohan, R. Raj [Department of ECE, Gojan School of Business and Technology, Chennai (India); Rajendran, K. [Department of Electronics, Government Arts College for Women, Ramanathapuram, TN (India); Sambath, K. [Department of ECS, Sri Krishna Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, TN (India)

2014-01-28

In this paper, ZnO and ZnO:Al nanopowders have been synthesized by low cost hydrothermal method. Zinc nitrate, hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) and aluminium nitrate are used as precursors for ZnO and AZO with different molar ratios. The structural and optical characterization of doped and un-doped ZnO powders have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), photoluminescence (PL) and ultra violet visible (UV-Vis) absorption studies. The SEM results show that the hydrothermal synthesis can be used to obtain nanoparticles with different morphology. It is observed that the grain size of the AZO nanoparticles increased with increasing of Al concentration. The PL measurement of AZO shows that broad range of green emission around 550nm with high intensity. The green emission resulted mainly because of intrinsic defects.

In-situ PXRD studies of ZnO nanoparticle growth: How do various salts influence the hydrothermal growth of ZnO?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bøjesen, Espen Drath

ZnO is a material of great scientific and everyday relevance; it is used widely in all sorts of application. Synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles can be performed by a wide assortment of methods and a tremendous variety of sizes and shapes, it has been suggested that ZnO is the one known compound showing...... the broadest range of nanostructures. Previously many different in-situ characterization methods have been used to investigate the ZnO formation under various synthesis conditions; these include UV-VIS and SAXS. These methods were primarily used to give information on particle size of ZnO formed using soft...... chemical methods and non-aqueous solvents. In our work we have studied the formation of ZnO during hydrothermal syntheses using in-situ powder X-ray diffraction, thus enabling us to extract crystallographic as well as microstructural information. The data was analyzed using Rietveld refinement and whole...

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.

Influence of Dopants in ZnO Films on Defects

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Cheng-Xiao; Weng, Hui-Min; Zhang, Yang; Ma, Xing-Ping; Ye, Bang-Jiao

2008-12-01

The influence of dopants in ZnO films on defects is investigated by slow positron annihilation technique. The results show S that parameters meet SAl > Sun > SAg for Al-doped ZnO films, undoped and Ag-doped ZnO films. Zinc vacancies are found in all ZnO films with different dopants. According to S parameter and the same defect type, it can be induced that the zinc vacancy concentration is the highest in the Al-doped ZnO film, and it is the least in the Ag-doped ZnO film. When Al atoms are doped in the ZnO films grown on silicon substrates, Zn vacancies increase as compared to the undoped and Ag-doped ZnO films. The dopant concentration could determine the position of Fermi level in materials, while defect formation energy of zinc vacancy strongly depends on the position of Fermi level, so its concentration varies with dopant element and dopant concentration.

3D highly oriented nanoparticulate and microparticulate array of metal oxide materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vayssieres, Lionel; Guo, Jinghua; Nordgren, Joseph

2006-01-01

Advanced nano and micro particulate thin films of 3d transition and post-transition metal oxides consisting of nanorods and microrods with parallel and perpendicular orientation with respect to the substrate normal, have been successfully grown onto various substrates by heteronucleation, without template and/or surfactant, from the aqueous condensation of solution of metal salts or metal complexes (aqueous chemical growth). Three-dimensional arrays of iron oxide nanorods and zinc oxide nanorods with parallel and perpendicular orientation are presented as well as the oxygen K-edge polarization dependent x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) study of anisotropic perpendicularly oriented microrod array of ZnO performed at synchrotron radiation source facility

Optical Properties of ZnO Nanoparticles Capped with Polymers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atsushi Noguchi

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles capped with polymers were investigated. Polyethylene glycol (PEG and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP were used as capping reagents. ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by the sol-gel method. Fluorescence and absorption spectra were measured. When we varied the timing of the addition of the polymer to the ZnO nanoparticle solution, the optical properties were drastically changed. When PEG was added to the solution before the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles, the fluorescence intensity increased. At the same time, the total particle size increased, which indicated that PEG molecules had capped the ZnO nanoparticles. The capping led to surface passivation, which increased fluorescence intensity. However, when PEG was added to the solution after the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles, the fluorescence and particle size did not change. When PVP was added to the solution before the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles, aggregation of nanoparticles occurred. When PVP was added to the solution after the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles, fluorescence and particle size increased. This improvement of optical properties is advantageous to the practical usage of ZnO nanoparticles, such as bioimaging

Photoluminescence properties of Co-doped ZnO nanocrystals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lommens, P.; Smet, P.F.; De Mello Donega, C.

2006-01-01

We performed photoluminescence experiments on colloidal, Co -doped ZnO nanocrystals in order to study the electronic properties of Co in a ZnO host. Room temperature measurements showed, next to the ZnO exciton and trap emission, an additional emission related to the Co dopant. The spectral...... position and width of this emission does not depend on particle size or Co concentration. At 8 K, a series of ZnO bulk phonon replicas appear on the Co-emission band. We conclude that Co ions are strongly localized in the ZnO host, making the formation of a Co d-band unlikely. Magnetic measurements...

Hydrothermal growth of upright-standing ZnO sheet microcrystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Ruixia; Yang, Ping; Dong, Xiaobin; Jia, Changchao; Li, Jia

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Upright-standing ZnO sheet microcrystals were hydrothermally fabricated. • The ZnO sheets were prepared with sodium oxalate at 70 °C without any surfactant. • The preferable adsorption of oxalate anions causes the formation of ZnO sheet. • The continuous growth in six directions leads to the formation of hexagonal sheets. - Abstract: Large-scale upright-standing ZnO sheet microcrystals were fabricated on Zn substrate using sodium oxalate as structure-directing agent by a hydrothermal method at low temperature (70 °C) without any surfactant. The sheets are about 3–5 μm in dimension and 100–300 nm in thickness. The strong and narrow diffraction peaks of ZnO indicate that the sample has a good crystallinity and size. The morphology of sheet-like ZnO varied with the concentrations of sodium oxalate and reaction time. The sheet-like ZnO would transform into rod-like ones when sodium oxalate was substituted by equivalent sodium acetate. The formation of sheet-like ZnO is attributed to the preferable adsorption of oxalate anions on (0 0 0 1) face of ZnO, which inhibits the intrinsic growth of ZnO. Additionally, the continuous growth in six (0 1 −1 0) directions that have the lowest surface energy leads to the formation of hexagonal sheets

Efficient detection of total cholesterol using (ChEt–ChOx/ZnO/Pt/Si) bioelectrode based on ZnO matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batra, Neha; Sharma, Anjali; Tomar, Monika; Gupta, Vinay

2014-01-01

Present study highlights the importance of ZnO matrix prepared by vapour phase transport technique on platinum coated Si platform (ZnO/Pt/Si) as a potential matrix for the realization of highly sensitive and selective bioelectrode for detection of total cholesterol. Bienzymes cholesterol esterase (ChEt) and cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) have been immobilized onto the surface of ZnO thin film matrix by physical adsorption technique. The prepared bioelectrode (ChEt–ChOx/ZnO/Pt/Si) is utilized for detection of total cholesterol using the cyclic voltammetry technique. The bioelectrode (ChEt–ChOx/ZnO/Pt/Si) is found to exhibit efficient sensing response characteristics with high sensitivity of 190 μA mM −1 cm −2 ; good linearity in the range of 0.5–12 mM total cholesterol concentration, and a very low Michaelis–Menten constant of 0.68 mM which indicates high affinity of bienzymes immobilized on ZnO towards the analyte (total cholesterol). The enhanced response is attributed to the development of ZnO thin film based matrix having good electron transport property and nanoporous morphology for effective loading of enzymes with favourable orientation. - Highlights: • Fabrication of a ZnO nanostructured thin film based efficient matrix • Utilizing prepared matrix for detection of total cholesterol (free + esterified) • Cholesterol oxidase and cholesterol esterase are the corresponding selective enzymes. • Vapour phase transport technique, for the fabrication of nanostructured ZnO matrix • The bioelectrode exhibits enhanced response characteristics towards total cholesterol detection

Efficient detection of total cholesterol using (ChEt–ChOx/ZnO/Pt/Si) bioelectrode based on ZnO matrix

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Batra, Neha; Sharma, Anjali [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Tomar, Monika [Department of Physics, Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Gupta, Vinay, E-mail: drguptavinay@gmail.com [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India)

2014-07-01

Present study highlights the importance of ZnO matrix prepared by vapour phase transport technique on platinum coated Si platform (ZnO/Pt/Si) as a potential matrix for the realization of highly sensitive and selective bioelectrode for detection of total cholesterol. Bienzymes cholesterol esterase (ChEt) and cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) have been immobilized onto the surface of ZnO thin film matrix by physical adsorption technique. The prepared bioelectrode (ChEt–ChOx/ZnO/Pt/Si) is utilized for detection of total cholesterol using the cyclic voltammetry technique. The bioelectrode (ChEt–ChOx/ZnO/Pt/Si) is found to exhibit efficient sensing response characteristics with high sensitivity of 190 μA mM{sup −1} cm{sup −2}; good linearity in the range of 0.5–12 mM total cholesterol concentration, and a very low Michaelis–Menten constant of 0.68 mM which indicates high affinity of bienzymes immobilized on ZnO towards the analyte (total cholesterol). The enhanced response is attributed to the development of ZnO thin film based matrix having good electron transport property and nanoporous morphology for effective loading of enzymes with favourable orientation. - Highlights: • Fabrication of a ZnO nanostructured thin film based efficient matrix • Utilizing prepared matrix for detection of total cholesterol (free + esterified) • Cholesterol oxidase and cholesterol esterase are the corresponding selective enzymes. • Vapour phase transport technique, for the fabrication of nanostructured ZnO matrix • The bioelectrode exhibits enhanced response characteristics towards total cholesterol detection.

ALD grown nanostructured ZnO thin films: Effect of substrate temperature on thickness and energy band gap

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javed Iqbal

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Nanostructured ZnO thin films with high transparency have been grown on glass substrate by atomic layer deposition at various temperatures ranging from 100 °C to 300 °C. Efforts have been made to observe the effect of substrate temperature on the thickness of the deposited thin films and its consequences on the energy band gap. A remarkably high growth rate of 0.56 nm per cycle at a substrate temperature of 200 °C for ZnO thin films have been achieved. This is the maximum growth rate for ALD deposited ZnO thin films ever reported so far to the best of our knowledge. The studies of field emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry patterns confirm the deposition of uniform and high quality nanosturtured ZnO thin films which have a polycrystalline nature with preferential orientation along (100 plane. The thickness of the films deposited at different substrate temperatures was measured by ellipsometry and surface profiling system while the UV–visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy studies have been used to evaluate the optical properties of the respective thin films. It has been observed that the thickness of the thin film depends on the substrate temperatures which ultimately affect the optical and structural parameters of the thin films.

Effect of Mg doping in ZnO buffer layer on ZnO thin film devices for electronic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Giri, Pushpa; Chakrabarti, P.

2016-05-01

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) thin films have been grown on p-silicon (Si) substrate using magnesium doped ZnO (Mg: ZnO) buffer layer by radio-frequency (RF) sputtering method. In this paper, we have optimized the concentration of Mg (0-5 atomic percent (at. %)) ZnO buffer layer to examine its effect on ZnO thin film based devices for electronic and optoelectronic applications. The crystalline nature, morphology and topography of the surface of the thin film have been characterized. The optical as well as electrical properties of the active ZnO film can be tailored by varying the concentration of Mg in the buffer layer. The crystallite size in the active ZnO thin film was found to increase with the Mg concentration in the buffer layer in the range of 0-3 at. % and subsequently decrease with increasing Mg atom concentration in the ZnO. The same was verified by the surface morphology and topography studies carried out with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic electron microscopy (AFM) respectively. The reflectance in the visible region was measured to be less than 80% and found to decrease with increase in Mg concentration from 0 to 3 at. % in the buffer region. The optical bandgap was initially found to increase from 3.02 eV to 3.74 eV by increasing the Mg content from 0 to 3 at. % but subsequently decreases and drops down to 3.43 eV for a concentration of 5 at. %. The study of an Au:Pd/ZnO Schottky diode reveals that for optimum doping of the buffer layer the device exhibits superior rectifying behavior. The barrier height, ideality factor, rectification ratio, reverse saturation current and series resistance of the Schottky diode were extracted from the measured current voltage (I-V) characteristics.

Influence of annealing temperature on the structural, optical and mechanical properties of ALD-derived ZnO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yen, C.-Y.; Jian, S.-R.; Chen, G.-J.; Lin, C.-M.; Lee, H.-Y.; Ke, W.-C.; Liao, Y.-Y.; Yang, P.-F.; Wang, C.-T.; Lai, Y.-S.; Jang, Jason S.-C.; Juang, J.-Y.

2011-01-01

ZnO thin films grown on Si(1 1 1) substrates by using atomic layer deposition (ALD) were annealed at the temperatures ranging from 300 to 500 deg. C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the annealed ZnO thin films are highly (0 0 2)-oriented, indicating a well ordered microstructure. The film surface examined by the atomic force microscopy (AFM), however, indicated that the roughness increases with increasing annealing temperature. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum showed that the intensity of UV emission was strongest for films annealed at 500 deg. C. The mechanical properties of the resultant ZnO thin films investigated by nanoindentation reveal that the hardness decreases from 9.2 GPa to 7.2 GPa for films annealed at 300 deg. C and 500 deg. C, respectively. On the other hand, the Young's modulus for the former is 168.6 GPa as compared to a value of 139.5 GPa for the latter. Moreover, the relationship between the hardness and film grain size appear to follow closely with the Hall-Petch equation.

Enhanced optical and electrical properties of Y-doped ZnO nanoparticles having different Y concentrations

Science.gov (United States)

Üzar, Neslihan

2018-04-01

In this study, undoped ZnO and yttrium (Y)-doped ZnO (YZO) nanoparticles having different Y dopant concentrations (Zn1- x Y x O; x = 0.005, 0.01, 0.015, 0.02) were successfully synthesized by sol-gel dip-coating method. Structural characterizations of the obtained samples were examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. SEM analysis shows that the synthesized nanoparticles are mostly dot-like structures. The sizes of nanostructures decrease with increasing Y-doping concentration up to 2 mol % Y and XRD results show that all of samples have wurtzite hexagonal structure of ZnO with (002) c-plane orientation. According to EDS results pure YZO samples are obtained. Optical transmittances of all samples were investigated in the range of 350-750 nm at room temperature. The average optical transmittances of YZO samples in the visible region are approximately over 90%, but the transmittance starts to decrease for Zn0.98Y0.02O sample. Also, it was observed that the optical transmittances of Y-doped samples are higher than that of undoped ZnO. The electrical properties of YZO samples were obtained by resistance measurements at room temperature. The resistivity of samples was found to be 2.25 × 10-3, 1.43 × 10-3, 7.8 × 10-3, and 1.3 × 10-3 Ω-cm for Zn0.995Y0.005O, Zn0.99Y0.01O, Zn0.985Y0.015O and Zn0.98Y0.02O, respectively. All these results show that surface, structural, electrical and optical properties of ZnO samples can be improved with doping Y up to 2 mol % concentrations.

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.)

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.

Photoionization cross-section for atomic orbitals with random and fixed spatial orientation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldberg, S.M.; Fadley, C.S.; Kono, S.

1981-01-01

Atomic photoionization subshell cross-sections and asymmetry parameters necessary for determining the differential cross-sections of randomly-oriented atoms have been calculated within the one-electron, central-potential model and the dipole approximation for all subshells of C, O, Al, Si, S, Ni, Cu, Ga, Ge, As, Se, In, Sb, Cs, Ba, Ce, Ta, W, Pt, Au, and Pb for a photon energy range from 20 to 1500 eV, and the relevant Cooper minima located to within 10 eV. These values are tabulated for general use, together with the associated radial matrix elements and phase shifts. Differential photoionization cross-sections for fixed-orientation s-, p- and d-orbitals have also been derived within the same model for a completely general experimental geometry, and closed-form expressions depending on radial matrix elements and phase shifts are given. For the special geometry of a polarized excitation source with polarization parallel to the electron emission direction, it is further shown that such oriented-atom cross-sections are exactly proportional to the probability distribution of the initial orbital, a result equivalent to that derived by using a plane-wave final-state approximation. However, detailed numerical calculations of cross-sections for oriented Cu 3d and O 2p orbitals in various general geometries and at various energies exhibit significant differences in comparison to plane-wave cross-sections. By contrast, certain prior angular-resolved X-ray photoemission studies of single-crystal valence bands are found to have been carried out in an experimental geometry that fortuitously gave cross-sections close to the plane-wave predictions. (orig.)

Effect of the substrate surface topology and temperature on the structural properties of ZnO layers obtained by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kitova, S; Danev, G, E-mail: skitova@clf.bas.b [Acad. J .Malinowski Central Laboratory of Photoprocesses, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl.109, 1113 Sofia (Bulgaria)

2010-04-01

In this work thin ZnO layers were grown by metal-organic PECVD (RF 13.56 MHz) on Si wafers. Zn acetylacetonate was used as a precursor and oxygen as oxidant. A system for dosed injection of the precursor and oxidant into the plasma reactor was developed. The influence of the substrate surface topology and temperature on the structural properties of the deposited layers was studied. ZnO and graphite powder dispersions were used to modify the silicon wafers before starting the deposition process of the layers. Some of the ZnO layers were deposited on the back, unpolished, side of Si wafers. Depositions at 400 {sup 0}C were performed to examine the effect of the substrate temperatures on the layer growth. The film structure was examined by XRD and SEM. The results show that all layers are crystalline with hexagonal wurtzite structure. The crystallites are preferentially oriented along the c-axis direction perpendicular to the substrate surfaces. ZnO layers deposited on thin ZnO seed films and clean Si surface exhibit well-developed grain structures and more c-axis preferred phase with better crystal quality than that of the layers deposited on graphite seed layer or rough, unpolished Si wafer.

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).

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.

Nanostructured porous ZnO film with enhanced photocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Lina; Zheng Yingying; Li Xiaoyun; Dong Wenjun; Tang Weihua; Chen Benyong; Li Chaorong; Li Xiao; Zhang Tierui

2011-01-01

Well-defined ZnO nanostructured films have been fabricated directly on Zn foil via hydrothermal synthesis. During the fabrication of the ZnO nanostructured films, the Zn foil serves as the Zn source and also the substrate. Porous nanosheet-based, nanotube-based and nanoflower-based ZnO films can all be easily prepared by adjusting the alkali type, reaction time and reaction temperature. The composition, morphology and structure of ZnO films are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The porous ZnO nanosheet-based film exhibits enhanced photocatalytic activity in the degradation of Rhodamine B under UV light irradiation. This can be attributed to the high surface area of the ZnO nanosheet and the large percentage of the exposed [001] facet. Moreover, the self-supporting, recyclable and stable ZnO photocatalytic film can be readily recovered and potentially applied for pollution disposal.

Processing of ZnO nanocrystals by solochemical technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gusatti, M.; Speckhahn, R.; Silva, L.A.; Rosario, J.A.; Lima, R.B.; Kuhnen, N.C.; Riella, H.G.; Campos, C.E.M.

2009-01-01

In the present work, we report the synthesis of high quality ZnO nanocrystals by solochemical technique. This synthetic strategy has been shown to have advantages over other methods of producing nanostructures in terms of low cost, efficiency, simplicity and uniformity of crystal structure. Zinc chloride solution at room temperature was mixed with sodium hydroxide solution at 50°C to produce ZnO nanocrystals. Transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the ZnO nanocrystals obtained. The structure of ZnO was refined by the Rietveld Method from X-ray diffraction data. These methods showed that the product consisted of pure ZnO nanocrystals and has, predominantly, a rod-like morphology. (author)

Epitaxial GaN around ZnO nanopillars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fikry, Mohamed; Scholz, Ferdinand [Institut fuer Optoelektronik, Universitaet Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 45, 89081 Ulm (Germany); Madel, Manfred; Tischer, Ingo; Thonke, Klaus [Institut fuer Quantenmaterie, Universitaet Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 45, 89081 Ulm (Germany)

2011-07-01

We report on an investigation of the epitaxial quality of GaN layers overgrown coaxially around ZnO nanopillars. In a first step, regularly arranged ZnO nanopillars were grown using pre-patterning by e-beam lithography or self-organized hexagonal polystyrene sphere masks. Alternatively, ZnO pillars were also successfully grown on top of GaN pyramids. In a second step, GaN layers were grown around the ZnO pillars by Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy. At growth temperatures above 800 C, the ZnO pillars are dissolved by the hydrogen carrier gas leaving hollow GaN nanotubes. Characterization involved photoluminescence (PL), scanning electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence. The fair quality of the deposited GaN layers is confirmed by a sharp low temperature PL peak at 3.48 eV attributed to the donor bound exciton emission. Further peaks at 3.42 eV and 3.29 eV show the possible existence of basal plane and prismatic stacking faults.

Chemical Sensing Applications of ZnO Nanomaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Chaudhary, Savita; Umar, Ahmad; Bhasin, K. K.

2018-01-01

Recent advancement in nanoscience and nanotechnology has witnessed numerous triumphs of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanomaterials due to their various exotic and multifunctional properties and wide applications. As a remarkable and functional material, ZnO has attracted extensive scientific and technological attention, as it combines different properties such as high specific surface area, biocompatibility, electrochemical activities, chemical and photochemical stability, high-electron communicating features, non-toxicity, ease of syntheses, and so on. Because of its various interesting properties, ZnO nanomaterials have been used for various applications ranging from electronics to optoelectronics, sensing to biomedical and environmental applications. Further, due to the high electrochemical activities and electron communication features, ZnO nanomaterials are considered as excellent candidates for electrochemical sensors. The present review meticulously introduces the current advancements of ZnO nanomaterial-based chemical sensors. Various operational factors such as the effect of size, morphologies, compositions and their respective working mechanisms along with the selectivity, sensitivity, detection limit, stability, etc., are discussed in this article. PMID:29439528

Fast synthesize ZnO quantum dots via ultrasonic method.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Weimin; Zhang, Bing; Ding, Nan; Ding, Wenhao; Wang, Lixi; Yu, Mingxun; Zhang, Qitu

2016-05-01

Green emission ZnO quantum dots were synthesized by an ultrasonic sol-gel method. The ZnO quantum dots were synthesized in various ultrasonic temperature and time. Photoluminescence properties of these ZnO quantum dots were measured. Time-resolved photoluminescence decay spectra were also taken to discover the change of defects amount during the reaction. Both ultrasonic temperature and time could affect the type and amount of defects in ZnO quantum dots. Total defects of ZnO quantum dots decreased with the increasing of ultrasonic temperature and time. The dangling bonds defects disappeared faster than the optical defects. Types of optical defects first changed from oxygen interstitial defects to oxygen vacancy and zinc interstitial defects. Then transformed back to oxygen interstitial defects again. The sizes of ZnO quantum dots would be controlled by both ultrasonic temperature and time as well. That is, with the increasing of ultrasonic temperature and time, the sizes of ZnO quantum dots first decreased then increased. Moreover, concentrated raw materials solution brought larger sizes and more optical defects of ZnO quantum dots. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On single doping and co-doping of spray pyrolysed ZnO films: Structural, electrical and optical characterisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vimalkumar, T.V.; Poornima, N.; Jinesh, K.B.; Kartha, C. Sudha; Vijayakumar, K.P.

2011-01-01

In this paper we present studies on ZnO thin films (prepared using Chemical Spray pyrolysis (CSP) technique) doped in two different ways; in one set, 'single doping' using indium was done while in the second set, 'co-doping' using indium and fluorine was adopted. In the former case, effect of in-situ as well as ex-situ doping using In was analyzed. Structural (XRD studies), electrical (I-V measurements) and optical characterizations (through absorption, transmission and photoluminescence studies) of the films were done. XRD analysis showed that, for spray-deposited ZnO films, ex-situ doping using Indium resulted in preferred (0 0 2) plane orientation, while in-situ doping caused preferred orientation along (1 0 0), (0 0 2), (1 0 1) planes; however for higher percentage of in-situ doping, orientation of grains changed from (0 0 2) plane to (1 0 1) plane. The co-doped films had (0 0 2) and (1 0 1) planes. Lowest resistivity (2 x 10 -3 Ω cm) was achieved for the films, doped with 1% Indium through in-situ method. Photoluminescence (PL) emissions of ex-situ doped and co-doped samples had two peaks; one was the 'near band edge' emission (NBE) and the other was the 'blue-green' emission. But interestingly the PL emission of in-situ doped samples exhibited only the 'near band edge' emission. Optical band gap of the films increased with doping percentage, in all cases of doping.

Annealing Temperature Dependent Structural and Optical Properties of RF Sputtered ZnO Thin Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Shashikant; Varma, Tarun; Asokan, K; Periasamy, C; Boolchandani, Dharmendar

2017-01-01

This work investigates the effect of annealing temperature on structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films grown over Si 100 and glass substrates using RF sputtering technique. Annealing temperature has been varied from 300 °C to 600 °C in steps of 100, and different microstructural parameters such as grain size, dislocation density, lattice constant, stress and strain have been evaluated. The structural and surface morphological characterization has been done using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). XRD analysis reveals that the peak intensity of 002 crystallographic orientation increases with increased annealing temperature. Optical characterization of deposited films have been done using UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectrometer. An increase in optical bandgap of deposited ZnO thin films with increasing annealing temperature has been observed. The average optical transmittance was found to be more than 85% for all deposited films. Photoluminiscense spectra (PL) suggest that the crystalline quality of deposited film has increased at higher annealing temperature.

Hydrogen absorption in thin ZnO films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melikhova, O.; Čížek, J.; Lukáč, F.; Vlček, M.; Novotný, M.; Bulíř, J.; Lančok, J.; Anwand, W.; Brauer, G.; Connolly, J.; McCarthy, E.; Krishnamurthy, S.; Mosnier, J.-P.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Thin ZnO films and high quality ZnO crystal were electrochemically doped with hydrogen. ► Hydrogen absorbed in ZnO causes plastic deformation both in ZnO crystal and thin films. ► In ZnO crystal a sub-surface region with very high density of defects was formed. ► Moreover, plastic deformation causes specific surface modification of ZnO crystal. ► In ZnO films hydrogen-induced plastic deformation introduced defects in the whole film. -- Abstract: ZnO films with thickness of ∼80 nm were grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on MgO (1 0 0) single crystal and amorphous fused silica (FS) substrates. Structural studies of ZnO films and a high quality reference ZnO single crystal were performed by slow positron implantation spectroscopy (SPIS). It was found that ZnO films exhibit significantly higher density of defects than the reference ZnO crystal. Moreover, the ZnO film deposited on MgO substrate exhibits higher concentration of defects than the film deposited on amorphous FS substrate most probably due to a dense network of misfit dislocations. The ZnO films and the reference ZnO crystal were subsequently loaded with hydrogen by electrochemical cathodic charging. SPIS characterizations revealed that absorbed hydrogen introduces new defects into ZnO

Hydrogen absorption in thin ZnO films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melikhova, O., E-mail: oksivmel@yahoo.com [Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, V Holesovickach 2, CZ-180 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Čížek, J.; Lukáč, F.; Vlček, M. [Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, V Holesovickach 2, CZ-180 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Novotný, M.; Bulíř, J.; Lančok, J. [Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague (Czech Republic); Anwand, W.; Brauer, G. [Institut für Strahlenphysik, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, PO Box 510 119, D-01314 Dresden (Germany); Connolly, J.; McCarthy, E.; Krishnamurthy, S.; Mosnier, J.-P. [National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology, School of Physical Sciences, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 (Ireland)

2013-12-15

Highlights: ► Thin ZnO films and high quality ZnO crystal were electrochemically doped with hydrogen. ► Hydrogen absorbed in ZnO causes plastic deformation both in ZnO crystal and thin films. ► In ZnO crystal a sub-surface region with very high density of defects was formed. ► Moreover, plastic deformation causes specific surface modification of ZnO crystal. ► In ZnO films hydrogen-induced plastic deformation introduced defects in the whole film. -- Abstract: ZnO films with thickness of ∼80 nm were grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on MgO (1 0 0) single crystal and amorphous fused silica (FS) substrates. Structural studies of ZnO films and a high quality reference ZnO single crystal were performed by slow positron implantation spectroscopy (SPIS). It was found that ZnO films exhibit significantly higher density of defects than the reference ZnO crystal. Moreover, the ZnO film deposited on MgO substrate exhibits higher concentration of defects than the film deposited on amorphous FS substrate most probably due to a dense network of misfit dislocations. The ZnO films and the reference ZnO crystal were subsequently loaded with hydrogen by electrochemical cathodic charging. SPIS characterizations revealed that absorbed hydrogen introduces new defects into ZnO.

The Influence of Coping-oriented Hypnotic Suggestions on Chronic Pain in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): A Randomized Controlled Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Lone; Kjøgx, Heidi; Kasch, Helge

-hypnosis is unknown. The aim is to investigate the effect of coping-oriented hypnotic suggestions on chronic pain post-hypnosis. Methods: Seventy-five SCI-patients with chronic pain (>3, NRS 0-10) are randomized into one of three conditions; 1) coping-oriented hypnosis plus current treatment, 2) neutral hypnosis plus...

Hydrothermal growth and characterizations of dandelion-like ZnO nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kale, Rohidas B., E-mail: rb_kale@yahoo.co.in [Department of Physics, The Institute of Science, Madam Cama Road, Mumbai 400 032, (M.S.) (India); Lu, Shih-Yuan, E-mail: sylu@nthu.edu.tw [Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan, ROC (China)

2013-12-05

Highlights: •The simple, low cost, environmental benign hydrothermal method has been used to synthesize ZnO nanostructure. •The SEM images reveal the interesting 3D dandelion-like morphology of synthesized ZnO nanostructure. The SAED pattern and HRTEM study confirms that the ZnO nanorods are single crystalline. •Change in experimental conditions dramatically changes the morphologies of the synthesized ZnO. •The room temperature PL study reveals strong band edge emission along with much weaker defect related blue emission. •The reaction and growth mechanism of ZnO nanostructure is also discussed. -- Abstract: Three dimensional (3D) ZnO nanostructures have been synthesized by using a facile low-cost hydrothermal method under mild conditions. Aqueous alkaline ammonia solution of Zn(CH{sub 3}COO){sub 2} is used to grow 3D ZnO nanostructures. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) study reveals the well crystallized hexagonal structure of ZnO. SEM observations depict that the ZnO product grows in the form of nanorods united together to form 3D dandelion-like nanostructures. The elemental analysis using EDAX technique confirms the stoichiometry of the ZnO nanorods. The product exhibits special optical properties with red-shifts in optical absorption peak (376 nm) as compared with those of conventional ZnO nanorods. PL spectra show emission peak (396 nm) at the near band-edge and peak (464 nm) originated from defects states that are produced during the hydrothermal growth. TEM and SAED results reveal single crystalline structure of the synthesized product. The reaction and growth mechanisms on the morphological evolution of the ZnO nanostructures are discussed. The morphology of ZnO product is investigated by varying the reaction time, temperature, and type of complexing reagent.

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

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.

Effect of aging time on the optical, structural and photoluminescence properties of nanocrystalline ZnO films prepared by a sol–gel method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibrahim, N.B.; AL-Shomar, S.M.; Ahmad, Sahrim Hj.

2013-01-01

The nanocrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) films were deposited by a sol–gel method and the effect of sol aging time 0, 1, 7 and 11 days on the structural, optical and photoluminescence properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the deposited films were polycrystalline with hexagonal wurtzite structure and high orientation along c-axis direction. The grain size was in the range of 42–60 nm increased with sol aging time also the thickness increased from 70 to 147 nm with the aging time increment. The roughness of ZnO film investigated by atomic force microscope showed that roughness of the films increased then decreased with the increment of the aging time. The deposited films are highly transparent with an average transmission exceeding 82–95% in the visible range (400–800 nm), which slightly improved with aging time. The measured optical band gap values of the ZnO films were between 3.1 eV and 3.6 eV. The photoluminescence intensity increased with the aging time and the ZnO films have ultraviolet, violet and green emission.

Nanoscale formation of new solid-state compounds by topochemical effects: The interfacial reactions ZnO with Al2O3 as a model system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pin, Sonia; Ghigna, Paolo; Spinolo, Giorgio; Quartarone, Eliana; Mustarelli, Piercarlo; D'Acapito, Francesco; Migliori, Andrea; Calestani, Gianluca

2009-01-01

The chemical reactivity of thin layers (ca. 10 nm thick) of ZnO deposited onto differently oriented Al 2 O 3 single crystals has been investigated by means of atomic force microscopy inspections and X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Zn-K edge. The (0001) ZnO -parallel (112-bar0) sapphire interface yields the ZnAl 2 O 4 spinel and a quite stable film morphology. Instead, the (112-bar0) ZnO -parallel (11-bar02) sapphire and (0001) ZnO -parallel (0001) sapphire interfaces give origin to a new compound (or, possibly, even two new compounds), whose chemical nature is most likely that of a ZnO/Al 2 O 3 phase, with still unknown composition and crystal structure. In addition, in the last two cases, films collapse into prismatic twins of ca. 1 μm in dimension. These experimental findings demonstrate that in a solid-state reaction, the topotactical relationships between the reacting solids are of crucial importance not only in determining the kinetic and mechanisms of the process in its early stages, but even the chemical nature of the product. - Graphical abstract: EXAFS Fourier transforms and morphology of different reactive interfaces between ZnO and Al 2 O 3 .

P-type single-crystalline ZnO films obtained by (Na,N) dual implantation through dynamic annealing process

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiyuan; Huang, Jingyun; Chen, Shanshan; Pan, Xinhua; Chen, Lingxiang; Ye, Zhizhen

2018-02-01

Single-crystalline ZnO films were grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy technique on c-plane sapphire substrates. The films have been implanted with fixed fluence of 130 keV Na and 90 keV N ions at 460 °C. It is observed that dually-implanted single crystalline ZnO films exhibit p-type characteristics with hole concentration in the range of 1.24 × 1016-1.34 × 1017 cm-3, hole mobilities between 0.65 and 8.37 cm2 V-1 s-1, and resistivities in the range of 53.3-80.7 Ω cm by Hall-effect measurements. There are no other secondary phase appearing, with (0 0 2) (c-plane) orientation after ion implantation as identified by the X-ray diffraction pattern. It is obtained that Na and N ions were successfully implanted and activated as acceptors measured by XPS and SIMS results. Also compared to other similar studies, lower amount of Na and N ions make p-type characteristics excellent as others deposited by traditional techniques. It is concluded that Na and N ion implantation and dynamic annealing are essential in forming p-type single-crystalline ZnO films.

ZnO nanocrystals and allied materials

CERN Document Server

Okada, Tatsuo

2014-01-01

ZnO has been the central theme of research in the past decade due to its various applications in band gap engineering, and textile and biomedical industries. In nanostructured form, it offers ample opportunities to realize tunable optical and optoelectronic properties and it was also termed as a potential material to realize room temperature ferromagnetism. This book presents 17 high-quality contributory chapters on ZnO related systems written by experts in this field. These chapters will help researchers to understand and explore the varied physical properties to envisage device applications of ZnO in thin film, heterostructure and nanostructure forms.

Effect of reactant concentration on the structural properties of hydrothermally-grown ZnO rods on seed-layer ZnO / polyethylene terephthalate substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Y. I.; Shin, C. M.; Heo, J. H.; Ryu, H. [Inje University, Gimhae (Korea, Republic of); Lee, W. J. [Dong-Eui University, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Son, C. S. [Silla University, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Choi, H. [Pukyong National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2011-09-15

The morphology and the structural properties were studied for zinc-oxide (ZnO) rods hydrothermally grown on seed-layer ZnO/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates at various reactant concentrations. Dissolved solutions with de-ionized water, zinc nitrate hexahydrate (Zn(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}{center_dot}6H{sub 2}O, ZNH) and hexamethylenetetramine (C{sub 6}H{sub 12}N{sub 4}, HMT) were employed as reactants for hydrothermal growth of ZnO. The transparency of the mixtures (ZNH+HMT) with increasing reactant concentration from 0.025 to 0.25 M changed from transparent to translucent to opaque (white colors) due to Zn(OH){sub 2} precipitates. When the concentration was increased, the density of the ZnO rods increased, and the morphology of the ZnO rods changed from a hexagonal flat-end shape to a sharp-end or flake-like structure. The sharp-end rods with increasing concentration from 0.1 to 0.15 M resulted from the etching process at a lower pH condition (less than pH 6) after the ZnO rod growth, and the flake-like structure was due to a high growth rate. The ZnO seed layer might have improved the alignment of ZnO rods and made a high density of ZnO rods. In addition, the structural properties were improved at lower concentrations by inserting a seed layer.

Enhanced ultraviolet photo-response in Dy doped ZnO thin film

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Pawan; Singh, Ranveer; Pandey, Praveen C.

2018-02-01

In the present work, a Dy doped ZnO thin film deposited by the spin coating method has been studied for its potential application in a ZnO based UV detector. The investigations on the structural property and surface morphology of the thin film ensure that the prepared samples are crystalline and exhibit a hexagonal crystal structure of ZnO. A small change in crystallite size has been observed due to Dy doping in ZnO. AFM analysis ascertains the grain growth and smooth surface of the thin films. The Dy doped ZnO thin film exhibits a significant enhancement in UV region absorption as compared to the pure ZnO thin film, which suggests that Dy doped ZnO can be used as a UV detector. Under UV irradiation of wavelength 325 nm, the photocurrent value of Dy doped ZnO is 105.54 μA at 4.5 V, which is 31 times greater than that of the un-doped ZnO thin film (3.39 μA). The calculated value of responsivity is found to increase significantly due to the incorporation of Dy in the ZnO lattice. The observed higher value of photocurrent and responsivity could be attributed to the substitution of Dy in the ZnO lattice, which enhances the conductivity, electron mobility, and defects in ZnO and benefits the UV sensing property.

Effects of the crystallographic orientation of the Al2O3 substrate on the structural and the optical properties of ZnO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Chongmu; Park, Yeonkyu; Kim, Kyungha

2006-01-01

The structure and the optical properties of ZnO thin films grown on (0002) C-plane, (1120) A-plane, and (1012) R-plane sapphire substrates by using atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and photoluminescence analysis (PL) techniques. The ZnO film grown on the C-plane sapphire substrate has the smallest full width at half maximum (FWHM) values for both the X-ray (0002) diffraction peak and the photoluminescence peak for near-band-edge emission whereas that grown on the R-plane sapphire substrate has the largest FWHM values. On the other hand, the ZnO film grown on the C-plane sapphire substrate has the strong texture of the c-axis but the roughest surface while those grown on the R- and the C-plane sapphire substrates have smoother surfaces but do not have the texture of the c-axis.

Chronic toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles, non-nano ZnO and ZnCl2 to Folsomia candida (Collembola) in relation to bioavailability in soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kool, Pauline L.; Diez Ortiz, Maria; Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van

2011-01-01

The chronic toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NP) to Folsomia candida was determined in natural soil. To unravel the contribution of particle size and free zinc to NP toxicity, non-nano ZnO and ZnCl 2 were also tested. Zinc concentrations in pore water increased with increasing soil concentrations, with Freundlich sorption constants K f of 61.7, 106 and 96.4 l/kg (n = 1.50, 1.34 and 0.42) for ZnO-NP, non-nano ZnO and ZnCl 2 respectively. Survival of F. candida was not affected by ZnO-NP and non-nano ZnO at concentrations up to 6400 mg Zn/kg d.w. Reproduction was dose-dependently reduced with 28-d EC50s of 1964, 1591 and 298 mg Zn/kg d.w. for ZnO-NP, non-nano ZnO and ZnCl 2 , respectively. The difference in EC50s based on measured pore water concentrations was small (7.94-16.8 mg Zn/l). We conclude that zinc ions released from NP determine the observed toxic effects rather than ZnO particle size. - Highlights: → ZnO nanoparticles and non-nano ZnO were equally toxic to Folsomia candida in soil. → Pore water from soil spiked with ZnO nanoparticles showed saturation with zinc suggesting aggregation. → Pore water based EC50 values for ZnO nanoparticles and ZnCl 2 were similar. → ZnO nanoparticle toxicity in soil was most probably due to Zn dissolution from the nanoparticles. - ZnO nanoparticle toxicity to springtails in soil can be explained from Zn dissolution but not from particle size.

Graded index and randomly oriented core-shell silicon nanowires for broadband and wide angle antireflection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Pignalosa

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Antireflection with broadband and wide angle properties is important for a wide range of applications on photovoltaic cells and display. The SiOx shell layer provides a natural antireflection from air to the Si core absorption layer. In this work, we have demonstrated the random core-shell silicon nanowires with both broadband (from 400nm to 900nm and wide angle (from normal incidence to 60º antireflection characteristics within AM1.5 solar spectrum. The graded index structure from the randomly oriented core-shell (Air/SiOx/Si nanowires may provide a potential avenue to realize a broadband and wide angle antireflection layer.

Ultrasonic synthesis of fern-like ZnO nanoleaves and their enhanced photocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Qing Lan; Xiong, Rui; Zhai, Bao-gai; Huang, Yuan Ming

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Fern-like ZnO nanoleaves were synthesized by ultrasonicating Zn microcrystals in water. • A fern-like ZnO nanoleaf is a self-assembly of ZnO nanoplates along one ZnO nanorod. • Fern-like ZnO nanoleaves exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity than ZnO nanocrystals. • The branched hierarchical structures are responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic activity. - Abstract: Two-dimensional fern-like ZnO nanoleaves were synthesized by ultrasonicating zinc microcrystals in water. The morphology, crystal structure, optical property and photocatalytic activity of the fern-like ZnO nanoleaves were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, respectively. It is found that one fern-like ZnO nanoleaf is composed of one ZnO nanorod as the central trunk and a number of ZnO nanoplates as the side branches in opposite pairs along the central ZnO nanorod. The central ZnO nanorod in the fern-like nanoleaves is about 1 μm long while the side-branching ZnO nanoplates are about 100 nm long and 20 nm wide. Further analysis has revealed that ZnO nanocrystals are the building blocks of the central ZnO nanorod and the side-branching ZnO nanoplates. Under identical conditions, fern-like ZnO nanoleaves exhibit higher photocatalytic activity in photodegrading methyl orange in aqueous solution than spherical ZnO nanocrystals. The first-order photocatalytic rate constant of the fern-like ZnO nanoleaves is about four times as large as that of the ZnO nanoparticles. The branched architecture of the hierarchical nanoleaves is suggested be responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the fern-like ZnO nanoleaves

Preparation of ZnO nanocrystals via ultrasonic irradiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Qian, D.; Jiang, Jianzhong; Hansen, P. L.

2003-01-01

A simple and rapid process has been developed for the preparation of nanometer-sized ZnO crystals via ultrasonic irradiation, by which pure ZnO nanocrystals with an average size of 6 nm and narrow size distribution can be synthesized in a short time and without using any solvents for the precipit......A simple and rapid process has been developed for the preparation of nanometer-sized ZnO crystals via ultrasonic irradiation, by which pure ZnO nanocrystals with an average size of 6 nm and narrow size distribution can be synthesized in a short time and without using any solvents...

ZnO based potentiometric and amperometric nanosensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Willander, Magnus; Khun, Kimleang; Ibupoto, Zafar Hussain

2014-09-01

The existence of nanomaterials provides the solid platform for sensing applications due to owing of high sensitivity and a low concentration limit of detection. More likely used nanomaterials for sensing applications includes gold nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, magnetic nanoparticles such as Fe3O4, quantum dots and metal oxides etc. Recently nanomaterial and biological detection becomes an interdisciplinary field and is very much focussed by the researchers. Among metal oxides ZnO is largely considered due to its less toxic nature, biocompatible, cheap and easy to synthesis. ZnO nanomaterial is highly used for the chemical sensing, especially electrochemical sensing due to its fascinating properties such as high surface to volume ratio, atoxic, biosafe and biocompatible. Moreover, ZnO nanostructures exhibit unique features which could expose a suitable nanoenviroment for the immobilization of proteineous material such as enzymes, DNA, antibodies, etc. and in doing so it retains the biological efficiency of the immobilized bio sensitive material. The following review describes the two different coatings (i.e., ionophore and enzyme) on the surface of ZnO nanorods for the chemical sensing of zinc ion detection, thallium (I) ion detection, and L-lactic acid and the measurement of galactose molecules. ZnO nanorods provide the excellent transducing properties in the generation of strong electrical signals. Moreover, this review is very much focused on the applications of ZnO nanostructures in the sensing field.

ZNO and AG-ZNO crystals: synthesis, characterization, and application in heterogeneous photocatalysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Campano Lucilha

2016-05-01

Full Text Available ZnO and Ag-ZnO were synthesized in a simple and efficient manner by thermal decomposition of zinc oxalate and silver/zinc mixed oxalate. The influence of the addition of metallic silver on ZnO particles and the effect of temperature in the thermal treatment were investigated. The samples were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, Raman, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, specific surface area (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of these materials in the decolorization of direct red 23 diazo dye was studied. The complete conversion into oxides from oxalates at lower temperatures was determinant in the photocatalytic efficiency of both the oxides. The presence of silver in zinc oxide, treated at 400 °C, more than doubled the rate constant of diazo dye decolorization (6.87×10-3 min-1 with respect to ZnO, treated at 600 °C, resulting in 3.07×10-3 min-1 under UV irradiation at 30 °C.

Pattern recognition in bees : orientation discrimination

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hateren, J.H. van; Srinivasan, M.V.; Wait, P.B.

1990-01-01

Honey bees (Apis mellifera, worker) were trained to discriminate between two random gratings oriented perpendicularly to each other. This task was quickly learned with vertical, horizontal, and oblique gratings. After being trained on perpendicularly-oriented random gratings, bees could discriminate

Optical and structural properties of thin films of ZnO at elevated temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kayani, Zohra N.; Afzal, Tosif; Riaz, Saira; Naseem, Shahzad

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Thin films of ZnO are prepared on glass substrates using dip-coating. • The X-ray diffraction showed that films are crystalline. • Optical measurements show that the film possesses high transmittance in visible region. • The transmission decreased with increased withdrawal speed. • The films has direct band gap in range 3.78-3.48 eV. - Abstract: Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were prepared on glass substrate by sol–gel dip-coating method. The paper presents the properties of zinc oxide thin films deposited on soda-lime-glass substrate via dip-coating technique, using zinc acetate dehydrate and ethanol as raw materials. The effect of withdrawal speed on the crystalline structure, surface morphology and optical properties of the thin films has been investigated using XRD, SEM and UV–Vis spectrophotometer. X-ray diffraction study shows that all the films have hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferred orientation in (0 0 2) direction and transmission spectra showed highly transparent films with band gap ranging from 3.78 to 3.48 eV

Synthesis, characterization and optical properties of sheet-like ZnO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Changzhen; Meng, Dawei; Wu, Xiuling; Wang, Yongqian; Yu, Xiaohong; Zhang, Zhengjie; Liu, Xiaoyang

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Sheet-like ZnO with regular hexagon shape was synthesized with a two-step method. → Sheet-like ZnO predecessor was synthesized at low temperature in open system. → The diameter and thickness of ZnO sheet can be controlled conveniently. → This low-cost and environmentally benign approach is controllable and reproducible. → Sheet-like ZnO may have potential application in optical and electrical devices. -- Abstract: Sheet-like ZnO with regular hexagon shape and uniform diameter has been successfully synthesized through a two-step method without any metal catalyst. First, the sheet-like ZnO precursor was synthesized in a weak alkaline carbamide environment with stirring in a constant temperature water-bath by the homogeneous precipitation method, then sheet-like ZnO was obtained by calcining at 600 o C for 2 h. The structures and optical properties of sheet-like ZnO have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), photoluminescence (PL) and UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometer. The results reveal that the product is highly crystalline with hexagonal wurtzite phase and has appearance of hexagon at (0 0 0 1) plane. The HRTEM images confirm that the individual sheet-like ZnO is single crystal. The PL spectrum exhibits a narrow ultraviolet emission at 397 nm and a broad visible emission centering at 502 nm. The band gap of sheet-like ZnO is about 3.15 eV.

Piezoelectric Nanogenerator Using p-Type ZnO Nanowire Arrays

KAUST Repository

Lu, Ming-Pei; Song, Jinhui; Lu, Ming-Yen; Chen, Min-Teng; Gao, Yifan; Chen, Lih-Juann; Wang, Zhong Lin

2009-01-01

Using phosphorus-doped ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays grown on silicon substrate, energy conversion using the p-type ZnO NWs has been demonstrated for the first time. The p-type ZnO NWs produce positive output voltage pulses when scanned by a conductive

Adsorption property of volatile molecules on ZnO nanowires ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

7

Keywords: ZnO; interaction; ammonia; band structure; density of states. 1. 2. 3 .... Virtual NanoLab [18] software was utilized to construct the ZnO nanowires with 24 Zn ..... But in reality, the ZnO NWs shows a better response (80.2) towards NH3.

Sorption of Th(IV) onto ZnO nanoparticles and diatomite-supported ZnO nanocomposite. Kinetics, mechanism and activation parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yusan, Sabriye; Aslani, Mahmut A.A.; Aytas, Sule [Ege Univ., Izmir (Turkey). Inst. of Nuclear Sciences; Bampaiti, Anastasia; Noli, Fotini [Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). Dept. of Chemistry; Erenturk, Sema [Istanbul Technical Univ., Ayazaga Campus, Maslak-Istanbul (Turkey). Energy Inst.

2016-11-01

In this study, for the first time ZnO nanoparticles and diatomite-supported ZnO nanocomposite have been utilized as adsorbent for the removal of Th(IV) ions from aqueous solutions under different experimental conditions. The Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin- Radushkevich (D-R) isotherms were used to analyze the equilibrium data. The sorption equilibrium data were fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm with maximum sorption capacities values was found to be 1.105 mmol/g and 0.320 mmol/g for ZnO nanoparticles and diatomite supported ZnO nanocomposite, respectively. Pseudo-first and pseudo-second order equations, Intraparticle diffusion and Bangham's models were considered to evaluate the rate parameters and sorption mechanism. Sorption kinetics were better reproduced by the pseudo-second order model (R{sup 2} > 0.999), with an activation energy (E{sub a}) of +99.74 kJ/mol and +62.95 kJ/mol for ZnO nanoparticles and diatomite-supported ZnO nanocomposite, respectively. In order to specify the type of sorption reaction, thermodynamic parameters were also determined. The evaluated ΔG* and ΔH* indicate the non-spontaneous and endothermic nature of the reactions. The results of this work suggest that both of the used materials are fast and effective adsorbents for removing Th(IV) from aqueous solutions and chemical sorption plays a role in controlling the sorption rate.

Effects of seed layers on controlling of the morphology of ZnO nanostructures and superhydrophobicity of ZnO nanostructure/stearic acid composite films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Jing; Liu, Zhihua, E-mail: sdwfliu@163.com; Liu, Junqi; E, Lei; Liu, Zhifeng, E-mail: tjulzf@163.com

2016-11-01

Hydrophobic ZnO self-cleaning thin films with the nanobundles and nanocarpets structures fabricated on indium tin oxides (ITO) glass substrate are reported. The water contact angle of ZnO nanobundles and nanocarpets structures (79° and 67° respectively) is higher than that of unmodified ZnO nanorods. A subsequent chemical treatment with stearic acid (SA) contributed to a superhydrophobic surface with a water contact angle of 159°. Its superhydrophobic property is originated from the nanobundles or nanocarpets structures and surface energy of SA/ZnO nanobundles and SA/ZnO nanocarpets composite nanostructures. Moreover, this promising ZnO nanostructured materials show an important application in self-cleaning smart coatings. - Highlights: • PEG and CTAB are firstly introduced to modify the morphology of ZnO seed layers. • ZnO nanobundles and nanocarpets obtained from different seed layers. • Superhydrophobic surfaces obtained by chemcial treatment using SA.

ZnO1-xTex and ZnO1-xSx semiconductor alloys as competent materials for opto-electronic and solar cell applications: a comparative analysis

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Utsa Das; Partha P.Pal

2017-01-01

ZnO1-xTex ternary alloys have great potential to work as a photovoltaic (PV) absorber in solar cells.ZnO1-xSx is also a ZnO based alloy that have uses in solar cells.In this paper we report the comparative study of various parameters of ZnO1-xTex and ZnO1-xSx for selecting it to be a competent material for solar cell applications.The parameters are mainly being calculated using the well-known VCA (virtual crystal approximation) and VBAC (Valence Band Anti-Crossing) model.It was certainly being analysed that the incorporation of Te atoms produces a high band gap lower than S atoms in the host ZnO material.The spin-orbit splitting energy value of ZnO1-xTex was found to be higher than that of ZnO1-xSx.Beside this,the strain effects are also higher in ZnO1-xTex than ZnO1-xSx.The remarkable notifying result which the paper is reporting is that at a higher percentage of Te atoms in ZnO1-xTex,the spin-orbit splitting energy value rises above the band gap value,which signifies a very less internal carrier recombination that decreases the leakage current and increases the efficiency of the solar ceil.Moreover,it also covers a wide wavelength range compared to ZnO1-xSx.

Structure and photoluminescence properties of Ag-coated ZnO nano-needles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Xiaozhu, E-mail: Lixiaozhu1019@21cn.com [Department of Physics, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan, Guangdong 512005 (China) and Department of Physics and Key Laboratory of Acoustic and Photonic Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072 (China); Wang Yongqian [Engineering Research Center of Nano-Geomaterials of Ministry of Education (China University of Geosciences), Wuhan, Hubei 430074 (China)

2011-05-12

Highlights: > ZnO nano-needles were synthesized by thermal oxidation. > Their surfaces were coated with Ag by pulse electro-deposition technique. > The uncoated and coated ZnO nano-needles were characterized. > The results showed that the prepared ZnO nano-needles have been coated with Ag successfully. > The photoluminescence spectrums of ZnO nano-needles with Ag-coated and uncoated were analyzed, finding that the Ag-coated ZnO nano-needles can increase the absorption of UV light. - Abstract: A large number of zinc oxide (ZnO) nano-needles were synthesized by thermal oxidation of pure zinc. The surfaces of ZnO nano-needles were coated with a layer of Ag by pulse electro-deposition technique. The uncoated and coated ZnO nano-needles were characterized by using the X-ray diffraction and the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the uncoated samples were close-packed hexagonal structure, which showed needle-like morphology. Their average diameter is about 40 nm, lengths up to 5 {mu}m. At the same time we observed that the prepared ZnO nano-needles have been coated with Ag successfully. The photoluminescence spectrums of ZnO nano-needles with Ag-coated and uncoated were analyzed, finding that the uncoated ZnO nano-needles have two fluorescence peaks at 388 nm and 470.8 nm, respectively, the relative intensity of 143.4 and 93.61; and the Ag-coated ZnO nano-needles showed a pair of strong peaks at 387.4 nm and 405.2 nm, the relative intensity of 1366 and 1305, respectively, indicating that the Ag-coated ZnO nano-needles can increase the absorption of UV light.

Photoelectrocatrocatalytic hydrolysis of starch by using sprayed ZnO thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Sapkal, R. T.; Shinde, S. S.; Rajpure, K. Y.; Bhosale, C. H.

2013-05-01

Thin films of zinc oxide have been deposited onto glass/FTO substrates at optimized 400 °C by using a chemical spray pyrolysis technique. Deposited films are character photocatalytic activity by using XRD, an SEM, a UV-vis spectrophotometer, and a PEC single-cell reactor. Films are polycrystalline and have a hexagonal (wurtzite) crystal structure with c-axis (002) orientation growth perpendicular to the substrate surface. The observed direct band gap is about 3.22 eV for typical films prepared at 400 °C. The photocatalytic activity of starch with a ZnO photocatalyst has been studied by using a novel photoelectrocatalytic process.

Photoelectrocatrocatalytic hydrolysis of starch by using sprayed ZnO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sapkal, R. T.; Shinde, S. S.; Rajpure, K.Y.; Bhosale, C. H.

2013-01-01

Thin films of zinc oxide have been deposited onto glass/FTO substrates at optimized 400 °C by using a chemical spray pyrolysis technique. Deposited films are character photocatalytic activity by using XRD, an SEM, a UV-vis spectrophotometer, and a PEC single-cell reactor. Films are polycrystalline and have a hexagonal (wurtzite) crystal structure with c-axis (002) orientation growth perpendicular to the substrate surface. The observed direct band gap is about 3.22 eV for typical films prepared at 400 °C. The photocatalytic activity of starch with a ZnO photocatalyst has been studied by using a novel photoelectrocatalytic process. (semiconductor materials)

Photocatalysis and Bandgap Engineering Using ZnO Nanocomposites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Ali Johar

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nanocomposites have a great potential to work as efficient, multifunctional materials for energy conversion and photoelectrochemical reactions. Nanocomposites may reveal more improved photocatalysis by implying the improvements of their electronic and structural properties than pure photocatalyst. This paper presents the recent work carried out on photoelectrochemical reactions using the composite materials of ZnO with CdS, ZnO with SnO2, ZnO with TiO2, ZnO with Ag2S, and ZnO with graphene and graphene oxide. The photocatalytic efficiency mainly depends upon the light harvesting span of a material, lifetime of photogenerated electron-hole pair, and reactive sites available in the photocatalyst. We reviewed the UV-Vis absorption spectrum of nanocomposite and photodegradation reported by the same material and how photodegradation depends upon the factors described above. Finally the improvement in the absorption band edge of nanocomposite material is discussed.

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.

Synthesis, characteristics and antimicrobial activity of ZnO nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Janaki, A. Chinnammal; Sailatha, E.; Gunasekaran, S.

2015-06-01

The utilization of various plant resources for the bio synthesis of metallic nano particles is called green technology and it does not utilize any harmful protocols. Present study focuses on the green synthesis of ZnO nano particles by Zinc Carbonate and utilizing the bio-components of powder extract of dry ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale). The ZnO nano crystallites of average size range of 23-26 nm have been synthesized by rapid, simple and eco friendly method. Zinc oxide nano particles were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). FTIR spectra confirmed the adsorption of surfactant molecules at the surface of ZnO nanoparticles and the presence of ZnO bonding. Antimicrobial activity of ZnO nano particles was done by well diffusion method against pathogenic organisms like Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans and Penicillium notatum. It is observed that the ZnO synthesized in the process has the efficient antimicrobial activity.

Chronic toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles, non-nano ZnO and ZnCl{sub 2} to Folsomia candida (Collembola) in relation to bioavailability in soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kool, Pauline L., E-mail: pauline.kool@falw.vu.nl [Department of Animal Ecology, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam (Netherlands); Diez Ortiz, Maria [Department of Animal Ecology, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam (Netherlands); Pole de Recherche ROVALTAIN en Toxicologie Environnementale et Ecotoxicologie, Batiment Rhovalparc, BP 15173, 26958 Valence Cedex 9 (France); Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van [Department of Animal Ecology, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2011-10-15

The chronic toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NP) to Folsomia candida was determined in natural soil. To unravel the contribution of particle size and free zinc to NP toxicity, non-nano ZnO and ZnCl{sub 2} were also tested. Zinc concentrations in pore water increased with increasing soil concentrations, with Freundlich sorption constants K{sub f} of 61.7, 106 and 96.4 l/kg (n = 1.50, 1.34 and 0.42) for ZnO-NP, non-nano ZnO and ZnCl{sub 2} respectively. Survival of F. candida was not affected by ZnO-NP and non-nano ZnO at concentrations up to 6400 mg Zn/kg d.w. Reproduction was dose-dependently reduced with 28-d EC50s of 1964, 1591 and 298 mg Zn/kg d.w. for ZnO-NP, non-nano ZnO and ZnCl{sub 2}, respectively. The difference in EC50s based on measured pore water concentrations was small (7.94-16.8 mg Zn/l). We conclude that zinc ions released from NP determine the observed toxic effects rather than ZnO particle size. - Highlights: > ZnO nanoparticles and non-nano ZnO were equally toxic to Folsomia candida in soil. > Pore water from soil spiked with ZnO nanoparticles showed saturation with zinc suggesting aggregation. > Pore water based EC50 values for ZnO nanoparticles and ZnCl{sub 2} were similar. > ZnO nanoparticle toxicity in soil was most probably due to Zn dissolution from the nanoparticles. - ZnO nanoparticle toxicity to springtails in soil can be explained from Zn dissolution but not from particle size.

Characterization of spatial manipulation on ZnO nanocomposites consisting of Au nanoparticles, a graphene layer, and ZnO nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Shen-Che; Lu, Chien-Cheng; Su, Wei-Ming; Weng, Chen-Yuan; Chen, Yi-Cian; Wang, Shing-Chung; Lu, Tien-Chang; Chen, Ching-Pang; Chen, Hsiang

2018-01-01

Three types of ZnO-based nanocomposites were fabricated consisting of 80-nm Au nanoparticles (NPs), a graphene layer, and ZnO nanorods (NRs). To investigate interactions between the ZnO NRs and Au nanoparticle, multiple material analysis techniques including field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), surface contact angle measurements, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopic characterizations were performed. Results indicate that incorporating a graphene layer could block the interaction between the ZnO NRs and the Au NPs. Furthermore, the Raman signal of the Au NPs could be enhanced by inserting a graphene layer on top of the ZnO NRs. Investigation of these graphene-incorporated nanocomposites would be helpful to future studies of the physical properties and Raman analysis of the ZnO-based nanostructure design.

Hydrothermal Growth and Application of ZnO Nanowire Films with ZnO and TiO2Buffer Layers in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiang Chunhua

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract This paper reports the effects of the seed layers prepared by spin-coating and dip-coating methods on the morphology and density of ZnO nanowire arrays, thus on the performance of ZnO nanowire-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs. The nanowire films with the thick ZnO buffer layer (~0.8–1 μm thick can improve the open circuit voltage of the DSSCs through suppressing carrier recombination, however, and cause the decrease of dye loading absorbed on ZnO nanowires. In order to further investigate the effect of TiO2buffer layer on the performance of ZnO nanowire-based DSSCs, compared with the ZnO nanowire-based DSSCs without a compact TiO2buffer layer, the photovoltaic conversion efficiency and open circuit voltage of the ZnO DSSCs with the compact TiO2layer (~50 nm thick were improved by 3.9–12.5 and 2.4–41.7%, respectively. This can be attributed to the introduction of the compact TiO2layer prepared by sputtering method, which effectively suppressed carrier recombination occurring across both the film–electrolyte interface and the substrate–electrolyte interface.

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.

Structure and photoluminescence properties of Ag-coated ZnO nano-needles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xiaozhu; Wang Yongqian

2011-01-01

Highlights: → ZnO nano-needles were synthesized by thermal oxidation. → Their surfaces were coated with Ag by pulse electro-deposition technique. → The uncoated and coated ZnO nano-needles were characterized. → The results showed that the prepared ZnO nano-needles have been coated with Ag successfully. → The photoluminescence spectrums of ZnO nano-needles with Ag-coated and uncoated were analyzed, finding that the Ag-coated ZnO nano-needles can increase the absorption of UV light. - Abstract: A large number of zinc oxide (ZnO) nano-needles were synthesized by thermal oxidation of pure zinc. The surfaces of ZnO nano-needles were coated with a layer of Ag by pulse electro-deposition technique. The uncoated and coated ZnO nano-needles were characterized by using the X-ray diffraction and the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the uncoated samples were close-packed hexagonal structure, which showed needle-like morphology. Their average diameter is about 40 nm, lengths up to 5 μm. At the same time we observed that the prepared ZnO nano-needles have been coated with Ag successfully. The photoluminescence spectrums of ZnO nano-needles with Ag-coated and uncoated were analyzed, finding that the uncoated ZnO nano-needles have two fluorescence peaks at 388 nm and 470.8 nm, respectively, the relative intensity of 143.4 and 93.61; and the Ag-coated ZnO nano-needles showed a pair of strong peaks at 387.4 nm and 405.2 nm, the relative intensity of 1366 and 1305, respectively, indicating that the Ag-coated ZnO nano-needles can increase the absorption of UV light.

Fabrication of Semiconductor ZnO Nanostructures for Versatile SERS Application

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Lili Yang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Since the initial discovery of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS in the 1970s, it has exhibited a huge potential application in many fields due to its outstanding advantages. Since the ultra-sensitive noble metallic nanostructures have increasingly exposed themselves as having some problems during application, semiconductors have been gradually exploited as one of the critical SERS substrate materials due to their distinctive advantages when compared with noble metals. ZnO is one of the most representative metallic oxide semiconductors with an abundant reserve, various and cost-effective fabrication techniques, as well as special physical and chemical properties. Thanks to the varied morphologies, size-dependent exciton, good chemical stability, a tunable band gap, carrier concentration, and stoichiometry, ZnO nanostructures have the potential to be exploited as SERS substrates. Moreover, other distinctive properties possessed by ZnO such as biocompatibility, photocatcalysis and self-cleaning, and gas- and chemo-sensitivity can be synergistically integrated and exerted with SERS activity to realize the multifunctional potential of ZnO substrates. In this review, we discuss the inevitable development trend of exploiting the potential semiconductor ZnO as a SERS substrate. After clarifying the root cause of the great disparity between the enhancement factor (EF of noble metals and that of ZnO nanostructures, two specific methods are put forward to improve the SERS activity of ZnO, namely: elemental doping and combination of ZnO with noble metals. Then, we introduce a distinctive advantage of ZnO as SERS substrate and illustrate the necessity of reporting a meaningful average EF. We also summarize some fabrication methods for ZnO nanostructures with varied dimensions (0–3 dimensions. Finally, we present an overview of ZnO nanostructures for the versatile SERS application.

Effect of NICU Department Orientation Program on Mother’s Anxiety: a Randomized Clinical Trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leila Valizadeh

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Neonatal intensive care unit induces the high level of anxiety for mothers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of NICU orientation program on the anxiety of mothers who had preterm newborns hospitalized in NICU. Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial (three parallel groups. Participants included 99 mothers with preterm newborns hospitalized in NICU of Al- Zahra hospital, affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2015. Mothers were randomly assigned to one of three groups (film, booklet, and control. Mothers completed the State- Trait Anxiety Inventory before entering to the NICU, and then mothers in the experiment groups became familiar with the NICU environment through watching a film or reading booklet. After the first NICU visit, all mothers completed the STAI and Cattell's Anxiety Questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 13 software. Results: There was no significant difference between three groups regarding state- trait anxiety before the intervention. After the first NICU visit, a significant reduction in maternal state anxiety was seen in the both experiment groups. There was no statistical significant difference regarding trait anxiety. Data obtained from Cattell's anxiety questionnaire after intervention, showed significant difference in state anxiety between groups. Conclusion: Employing film and booklet orientation strategy after preterm delivery can reduce the mother’s anxiety and beneficent for the mother, baby, family and health care system.

On quantum efficiency of photoluminescence in ZnO layers and nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reshchikov, M.A., E-mail: mreshchi@vcu.ed [Physics Department, Virginia Commonwealth University, 701 W. Grace St., Richmond, VA 23284 (United States); El-Shaer, A.; Behrends, A.; Bakin, A.; Waag, A. [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig D-38106 (Germany)

2009-12-15

In this work we studied PL in ZnO layers and nanostructures, including ZnO homoepitaxial layers on ZnO substrate and ZnO-Zn{sub 1-x}Mg{sub x}O single quantum well (SQW) structures grown on sapphire substrates by MBE, and ZnO nanowires grown on sapphire by MOCVD. The external quantum efficiency (QE) of PL in O-face ZnO layers exceeded that in Zn-face ZnO layers by two orders of magnitude at low temperatures. In a sample with SQW the combined external QE from the 4.6-nm-wide SQW and 50-nm-thick Zn{sub 1-x}Mg{sub x}O barriers achieved 28% at 15 K. The highest external QE was observed in one of the samples with ZnO nanowires-52% at 15 K and 2% at 300 K. Contribution of defect-related PL bands in ZnO nanowires samples was extremely low.

III-nitrides on oxygen- and zinc-face ZnO substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Namkoong, Gon; Burnham, Shawn; Lee, Kyoung-Keun; Trybus, Elaissa; Doolittle, W. Alan; Losurdo, Maria; Capezzuto, Pio; Bruno, Giovanni; Nemeth, Bill; Nause, Jeff

2005-01-01

The characteristics of III-nitrides grown on zinc- and oxygen-face ZnO by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy were investigated. The reflection high-energy electron diffraction pattern indicates formation of a cubic phase at the interface between III-nitride and both Zn- and O-face ZnO. The polarity indicates that Zn-face ZnO leads to a single polarity, while O-face ZnO forms mixed polarity of III-nitrides. Furthermore, by using a vicinal ZnO substrate, the terrace-step growth of GaN was realized with a reduction by two orders of magnitude in the dislocation-related etch pit density to ∼10 8 cm -2 , while a dislocation density of ∼10 10 cm -2 was obtained on the on-axis ZnO substrates

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.

Photoluminescence measurements of ZnO heterostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adachi, Yutaka; Sakaguchi, Isao; Ohashi, Naoki; Haneda, Hajime; Ryoken, Haruki; Takenaka, Tadashi

2003-01-01

ZnO thin films were grown on TbAlO 3 single crystal substrates by pulsed laser deposition. In photoluminescence (PL) measurements, strong emissions from TbAlO 3 were observed with the emission from ZnO when the film thickness was less than 100 nm. The relationship between the ZnO film thickness and the emission intensity from TbAlO 3 was investigated in order to determine the penetration depth of excitation light. Information on the heterostructures ranging from the surface to a depth of 300 nm was obtained by PL measurements in this study, and the absorption coefficient for a wavelength of 325 nm was estimated to be 1.31x10 5 cm -1 . (author)

Microwave-assisted silica coating and photocatalytic activities of ZnO nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiquey, Iqbal Ahmed; Furusawa, Takeshi; Sato, Masahide; Suzuki, Noboru

2008-01-01

A new and rapid method for silica coating of ZnO nanoparticles by the simple microwave irradiation technique is reported. Silica-coated ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), CHN elemental analysis and zeta potential measurements. The FT-IR spectra and XPS clearly confirmed the silica coating on ZnO nanoparticles. The results of XPS analysis showed that the elements in the coating at the surface of the ZnO nanoparticles were Zn, O and Si. HR-TEM micrographs revealed a continuous and uniform dense silica coating layer of about 3 nm in thickness on the surface of ZnO nanoparticles. In addition, the silica coating on the ZnO nanoparticles was confirmed by the agreement in the zeta potential of the silica-coated ZnO nanoparticles with that of SiO 2 . The results of the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution showed that silica coating effectively reduced the photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanoparticles. Silica-coated ZnO nanoparticles showed excellent UV shielding ability and visible light transparency

Study of the thermal conductivity of ZnO nanowires/PMMA composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Igamberdiev, Kh. T.; Yuldashev, Sh. U.; Cho, H. D.; Kang, T. W.; Rakhimova, Sh. M.; Akhmedov, T. Kh.

2012-01-01

From thermal conductivity measurements on ZnO nanowires (NWs)/poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA composites, the thermal conductivities of the ZnO nanowires were determined. The thermal conductivity of a ZnO NW decreases considerably with decreasing nanowire diameter, and for a ZnO nanowire with a diameter of 250 nm, the thermal conductivity at room temperature is approximately two times lower than that of bulk ZnO at the same temperature. The results of this study show that the thermal conductivity of a ZnO NW is mainly determined by increased phonon-surface boundary scattering. These results could be useful for the design of ZnO-nanowire-based devices.

doped ZnO thick film resistors

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The characterization and ethanol gas sensing properties of pure and doped ZnO thick films were investigated. Thick films of pure zinc oxide were prepared by the screen printing technique. Pure zinc oxide was almost insensitive to ethanol. Thick films of Al2O3 (1 wt%) doped ZnO were observed to be highly sensitive to ...

Task-Oriented Training with Computer Games for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis or Hand Osteoarthritis: A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Srikesavan, Cynthia Swarnalatha; Shay, Barbara; Szturm, Tony

2016-09-13

To examine the feasibility of a clinical trial on a novel, home-based task-oriented training with conventional hand exercises in people with rheumatoid arthritis or hand osteoarthritis. To explore the experiences of participants who completed their respective home exercise programmes. Thirty volunteer participants aged between 30 and 60 years and diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis or hand osteoarthritis were proposed for a single-center, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial ( ClinicalTrials.gov : NCT01635582). Participants received task-oriented training with interactive computer games and objects of daily life or finger mobility and strengthening exercises. Both programmes were home based and were done four sessions per week with 20 minutes each session for 6 weeks. Major feasibility outcomes were number of volunteers screened, randomized, and retained; completion of blinded assessments, exercise training, and home exercise sessions; equipment and data management; and clinical outcomes of hand function. Reaching the recruitment target in 18 months and achieving exercise compliance >80% were set as success criteria. Concurrent with the trial, focus group interviews explored experiences of those participants who completed their respective programmes. After trial initiation, revisions in inclusion criteria were required to promote recruitment. A total of 17 participants were randomized and 15 were retained. Completion of assessments, exercise training, and home exercise sessions; equipment and data collection and management demonstrated excellent feasibility. Both groups improved in hand function outcomes and exercise compliance was above 85%. Participants perceived both programmes as appropriate and acceptable. Participants who completed task-oriented training also agreed that playing different computer games was enjoyable, engaging, and motivating. Findings demonstrate initial evidence on recruitment, feasibility of trial procedures, and acceptability of

Complete transformation of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles in ...

Science.gov (United States)

Here, we present evidence on complete transformation of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles, which are among the most heavily studied metal oxide particles, during 24 h in vitro toxicological testing with human T-lymphocytes. Synchrotron radiation-based X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy results revealed that Zn speciation profiles of 30 nm and 80 nm ZnO nanoparticles, and ZnSO4- exposed cells were almost identical with the prevailing species being Zn-cysteine. This suggests that ZnO nanoparticles are rapidly transformed during a standard in vitro toxicological assay, and are sequestered intracellularly, analogously to soluble Zn. Complete transformation of ZnO in the test conditions was further supported by almost identical Zn spectra in medium to which ZnO nanoparticles or ZnSO4 was added. Likewise, Cu XANES spectra for CuO and CuSO4-exposed cells and cell culture media were similar. These results together with our observation on similar toxicological profiles of ZnO and soluble Zn, and CuO and soluble Cu, underline the importance of dissolution and subsequent transformation of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles during toxicological testing and provide evidence that the nano-specific effect of ZnO and CuO nanoparticulates is negligible in this system. We strongly suggest to account for this aspect when interpreting the toxicological results of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles. Although a number of studies have discussed the transformation of nanoparticles during

Piezoelectricity and charge trapping in ZnO and Co-doped ZnO thin films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Domenico D’Agostino

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Piezoelectricity and charge storage of undoped and Co-doped ZnO thin films were investigated by means of PiezoResponse Force Microscopy and Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy. We found that Co-doped ZnO exhibits a large piezoelectric response, with the mean value of piezoelectric matrix element d33 slightly lower than in the undoped sample. Moreover, we demonstrate that Co-doping affects the homogeneity of the piezoelectric response, probably as a consequence of the lower crystalline degree exhibited by the doped samples. We also investigate the nature of the interface between a metal electrode, made up of the PtIr AFM tip, and the films as well as the phenomenon of charge storage. We find Schottky contacts in both cases, with a barrier value higher in PtIr/ZnO than in PtIr/Co-doped ZnO, indicating an increase in the work function due to Co-doping.

Template-free sonochemical synthesis of flower-like ZnO nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Huawa; Fan, Huiqing; Wang, Xin; Wang, Jing; Cheng, Pengfei; Zhang, Xiaojun

2014-01-01

Flower-like ZnO nanostructures have been successfully synthesized via a facile and template-free sonochemical method, using zinc acetate and potassium hydroxide as reactants only. The as-synthesized flower-like ZnO nanostructures were composed of nanorods with the width of ∼300–400 nm and the length of ∼2–3 μm. The structures, morphologies and optical properties of the as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometry and Raman-scattering spectroscopy. A plausible formation mechanism of flower-like ZnO nanostructures was studied by SEM which monitors an intermediate morphology transformation of the product at the different ultrasonic time (t=80,90,95,105, and 120 min). - Highlights: • A facile and template-free sonochemical method to fabricate flower-like ZnO nanostructures was proposed. • The flower-like ZnO nanostructures follow the ingrowth of ZnO from the matrix of Zn(OH) 2 crystals. • The flower-like ZnO nanostructures are also expected to explore their application in the field of nano-electronic devices

Room temperature ferromagnetism in Cu doped ZnO

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Nasir; Singh, Budhi; Khan, Zaheer Ahmed; Ghosh, Subhasis

2018-05-01

We report the room temperature ferromagnetism in 2% Cu doped ZnO films grown by RF magnetron sputtering in different argon and oxygen partial pressure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to ascertain the oxidation states of Cu in ZnO. The presence of defects within Cu-doped ZnO films can be revealed by electron paramagnetic resonance. It has been observed that saturated magnetic moment increase as we increase the zinc vacancies during deposition.

Admittance spectroscopy of spray-pyrolyzed ZnO film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kavasoglu, Nese; Kavasoglu, A. Sertap

2008-01-01

A ZnO film was deposited using the spray pyrolysis method. The admittance spectroscopy method was used to establish the contributions to electrical behavior from grains, grain boundaries, and electrodes of film. Proper equivalent electrical circuit of a ZnO film composed of a single parallel resistor, capacitor, and inductor network connected with a series resistance was proposed. Moreover, we displayed metal-semiconductor transition (MST) in the ZnO film via admittance spectroscopy

Single-Crystal Mesoporous ZnO Thin Films Composed of Nanowalls

KAUST Repository

Wang, Xudong

2009-02-05

This paper presents a controlled, large scale fabrication of mesoporous ZnO thin films. The entire ZnO mesoporous film is one piece of a single crystal, while high porosity made of nanowalls is present. The growth mechanism was proposed in comparison with the growth of ZnO nanowires. The ZnO mesoporous film was successfully applied as a gas sensor. The fabrication and growth analysis of the mesoporous ZnO thin film gi ve general guidance for the controlled growth of nanostructures. It also pro vides a unique structure with a superhigh surface-to-volume ratio for surface-related applications. © 2009 American Chemical Society.

Growth and photoluminescence of vertically aligned ZnO nanowires/nanowalls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang Fang; Zhao Dongxu; Li Binghui; Zhang Zhenzhong; Zhang Jiying; Shen Dezhen, E-mail: dxzhao2000@yahoo.com.c [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)

2009-07-07

By controlling the incoming gas flow, vertically aligned ZnO nanowires and nanowalls have been successfully synthesized on a Si (1 0 0) substrate by the simple physical vapour deposition method. The growth process of the ZnO nanowalls was observed by adjusting the growth time. The probable growth mechanisms of the ZnO nanowires and nanowalls were discussed in detail. In contrast to the photoluminescence results of nanowires, an enhancement of the LO phonon signal was observed in ZnO nanowalls, which was attributed to an additional channel of electron-phonon coupling induced by the residual strains in the ZnO nanowalls during the coalescence growth process.

Structural, Morphological, and LPG Sensing Properties of Al-Doped ZnO Thin Film Prepared by SILAR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shampa Mondal

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Undoped and aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR technique from ammonium zincate complex. The thin films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM for their structural and morphological studies. Both undoped and Al-doped film show strong preferred c-axis orientation. The texture coefficient (TC of the film along (002 direction increases due to Al incorporation. SEM micrograph shows round shaped particles for pure ZnO. However AZO films show particles with off spherical shape and compact interconnected grains. Sensitivity of the film in presence of 80% LEL (lower explosive limit of LPG increases with temperature and is maximum at 325°C. Significantly high sensitivity of 87% with reasonably fast response was observed for 1% Al-doped ZnO (AZO film in presence of 1.6 vol% LPG at 325°C.

Microwave synthesis and photocatalytic activities of ZnO bipods with different aspect ratios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Fazhe; Zhao, Zengdian [Analysis and Testing Center, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255100 (China); Qiao, Xueliang, E-mail: xuelqiao@163.com [State Key Laboratory of Plastic Forming Simulation and Die and Mould Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei (China); Tan, Fatang; Wang, Wei [State Key Laboratory of Plastic Forming Simulation and Die and Mould Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei (China)

2016-02-15

Highlights: • We synthesized linked ZnO nanorods by a facile microwave method. • The effect of reaction parameters on ZnO was investigated. • ZnO bipods with different aspect ratios were prepared. • The photocatalytic performance of ZnO bipods was evaluated. - Abstract: Linked ZnO nanorods have been successfully prepared via a facile microwave method without any post-synthesis treatment. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated the precursor had completely transformed into the pure ZnO crystal. The images of field emitting scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed that linked ZnO nanorods consisted predominantly of ZnO bipods. The formation process of the ZnO bipods was clearly discussed. ZnO bipods with different aspect ratios have been obtained by tuning the concentrations of reagents and microwave power. Moreover, the photocatalytic performance of ZnO bipods with different aspect ratios for degradation of methylene blue was systematically evaluated. The results of photocatalytic experiments showed that the photocatalytic activity increased with the aspect ratios of ZnO bipods increased. The reason is that ZnO bipods with larger aspect ratio have higher surface area, which can absorb more MB molecules to react with ·OH radicals.

Hydrogen absorption in thin ZnO films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

OpenAIRE

Meilkhova, O.; Čížek, J.; Lukáč,, F.; Vlček, M.; Novotný, M.; Bulíř, J.; Lančok, J.; Anwand, W.; Brauer, G.; Connolly, J.; McCarthy, E.; Krishnamurthy, S.; Mosnier, J.-P.

2013-01-01

ZnO films with thickness of ~80 nm were grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on MgO (1 0 0) single crystal and amorphous fused silica (FS) substrates. Structural studies of ZnO films and a high quality reference ZnO single crystal were performed by slow positron implantation spectroscopy (SPIS). It was found that ZnO films exhibit significantly higher density of defects than the reference ZnO crystal. Moreover, the ZnO film deposited on MgO substrate exhibits higher concentration of defects...

Recent progress on doped ZnO nanostructures for visible-light photocatalysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samadi, Morasae; Zirak, Mohammad; Naseri, Amene; Khorashadizade, Elham; Moshfegh, Alireza Z.

2016-01-01

Global environmental pollution and energy supply demand have been regarded as important concerns in recent years. Metal oxide semiconductor photocatalysts is a promising approach to apply environmental remediation as well as fuel generation from water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction. ZnO nanostructures have been shown promising photocatalytic activities due to their non-toxic, inexpensive, and highly efficient nature. However, its wide band gap hinders photo-excitation for practical photocatalytic applications under solar light as an abundant, clean and safe energy source. To overcome this barrier, many strategies have been developed in the last decade to apply ZnO nanostructured photocatalysts under visible light. In this review, we have classified different approaches to activate ZnO as a photocatalyst in visible-light spectrum. Utilization of various nonmetals, transition metals and rare-earth metals for doping in ZnO crystal lattice to create visible-light-responsive doped ZnO photocatalysts is discussed. Generation of localized energy levels within the gap in doped ZnO nanostructures has played an important role in effective photocatalytic reaction under visible-light irradiation. The effect of dopant type, ionic size and its concentration on the crystal structure, electronic property and morphology of doped ZnO with a narrower band gap is reviewed systematically. Finally, a comparative study is performed to evaluate two classes of metals and nonmetals as useful dopants for ZnO nanostructured photocatalysts under visible light. - Highlights: • Metals and nonmetals used as a dopant to shift ZnO band gap toward visible-light. • Modification of electronic structure played a crucial role in doped ZnO activity. • Correlation between dopant's characteristics and ZnO visible activity was reviewed. • Photo-degradation of doped ZnO was studied and compared for different dopants.

Recent progress on doped ZnO nanostructures for visible-light photocatalysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samadi, Morasae; Zirak, Mohammad [Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11555-9161, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Naseri, Amene [Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11365-8639, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Khorashadizade, Elham [Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11555-9161, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Moshfegh, Alireza Z., E-mail: moshfegh@sharif.edu [Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11555-9161, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11365-8639, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-04-30

Global environmental pollution and energy supply demand have been regarded as important concerns in recent years. Metal oxide semiconductor photocatalysts is a promising approach to apply environmental remediation as well as fuel generation from water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction. ZnO nanostructures have been shown promising photocatalytic activities due to their non-toxic, inexpensive, and highly efficient nature. However, its wide band gap hinders photo-excitation for practical photocatalytic applications under solar light as an abundant, clean and safe energy source. To overcome this barrier, many strategies have been developed in the last decade to apply ZnO nanostructured photocatalysts under visible light. In this review, we have classified different approaches to activate ZnO as a photocatalyst in visible-light spectrum. Utilization of various nonmetals, transition metals and rare-earth metals for doping in ZnO crystal lattice to create visible-light-responsive doped ZnO photocatalysts is discussed. Generation of localized energy levels within the gap in doped ZnO nanostructures has played an important role in effective photocatalytic reaction under visible-light irradiation. The effect of dopant type, ionic size and its concentration on the crystal structure, electronic property and morphology of doped ZnO with a narrower band gap is reviewed systematically. Finally, a comparative study is performed to evaluate two classes of metals and nonmetals as useful dopants for ZnO nanostructured photocatalysts under visible light. - Highlights: • Metals and nonmetals used as a dopant to shift ZnO band gap toward visible-light. • Modification of electronic structure played a crucial role in doped ZnO activity. • Correlation between dopant's characteristics and ZnO visible activity was reviewed. • Photo-degradation of doped ZnO was studied and compared for different dopants.

ZnO nanorods/polyaniline heterojunctions for low-power flexible light sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Talib, Rawnaq A.; Abdullah, M.J. [Nano-Optoelectronics Research and Technology (NOR) Laboratory, School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang (Malaysia); Al-Salman, Husam S. [Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Basrah, Basrah (Iraq); Mohammad, Sabah M. [Nano-Optoelectronics Research and Technology (NOR) Laboratory, School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang (Malaysia); Allam, Nageh K., E-mail: nageh.allam@aucegypt.edu [Energy Materials Laboratory (EML), School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo, 11835 (Egypt)

2016-09-15

Zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) were directly grown on p-type polyaniline (PAni)/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using chemical bath deposition method at low temperature. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques were used to study the morphology and structure of the fabricated films. The resulted ZnO NRs are hexagonal and grew vertically on the PAni surface in the (002) direction along the c-axis. The compressive strain, Raman and photoluminescence measurements confirmed the high-quality crystal structure of the formed ZnO NRs with no damage of the PAni surface. The photodetector made using ZnO NRs/PAni junction showed a sensitivity of 85% and a quantum efficiency of 12.3% at 5 V. - Highlights: • ZnO NRs/polyaniline p-n junction photodetectors were fabricated on flexible substrates. • The fabricated ZnO NRs grew along the (002) direction. • The fabricated ZnO NRs have low compressive strain. • The ZnO NRs/PAni junction showed a high sensitivity of 85%. • The photodetectors showed quantum efficiency as high as 12%.

Positron annihilation spectroscopy in doped p-type ZnO

Science.gov (United States)

Majumdar, Sayanee; Sanyal, D.

2011-07-01

Positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy has been used to investigate the vacancy type defect of the Li and N doped ZnO. The mono-vacancies, shallow -vacancies and open volume defects have been found in both the Li and N doped ZnO. The mono-vacancies, shallow-vacancies and open volume defects increase in N-doped ZnO as the size of N is quite high compared to Li. Positron annihilation study showed that the doping above 1-3% Li and 3-4% N in ZnO are not required in order to achieve low resistivity, high hole concentration and good mobility.

Structural and optical properties of ZnO rods hydrothermally formed on polyethersulfone substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Chang Mi; Jang, Jin Tak; Kim, Chang Yong; Ryu, Hyuk Hyun [Inje University, Gimhae (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Won Jae [Dong-Eui University, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Chang, Ji Ho [Korea Maritime University, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Son, Chang Sik [Silla University, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Hee Lack [Pukyong National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2012-06-15

Various unique ZnO morphologies, such as cigar-like and belt-like structures and microrod and nanorod structures, were formed on flexible polyethersulfone (PES) substrates by using a low temperature hydrothermal route. The structural properties of ZnO depended highly on the precursor concentration. The effect of a thin ZnO seed layer deposited the on PES substrate by using atomic layer deposition on the structural and the optical properties of ZnO hydrothermally grown on the ZnO seed layer/PES substrates was studied. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and photoluminescence (PL) measurements were employed to analyze the characteristics of hydrothermally-grown ZnO. The diameter of the ZnO nanorods grown on the ZnO seed layer/PES substrates increased with increasing precursor concentration from 0.025 to 0.125 M due to the Ostwald ripening process. ZnO hydrothermally-grown on the ZnO seed layer/PES substrates at a low precursor concentration showed better structural properties than ZnO formed without a seed layer. Well-formed ZnO nanorods deposited on the ZnO seed layer/PES substrates showed two PL peaks, one in the ultraviolet and the other in the visible region, whereas horizontally positioned ZnO formed on the PES substrate in the absence of a seed layer emitted only one broad PL peak in the violet region. The ZnO grown on PES substrates in this work can be used as high-quality transparent electrodes for solar cells fabricated on flexible substrates.

Structural and optical properties of ZnO rods hydrothermally formed on polyethersulfone substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Chang Mi; Jang, Jin Tak; Kim, Chang Yong; Ryu, Hyuk Hyun; Lee, Won Jae; Chang, Ji Ho; Son, Chang Sik; Choi, Hee Lack

2012-01-01

Various unique ZnO morphologies, such as cigar-like and belt-like structures and microrod and nanorod structures, were formed on flexible polyethersulfone (PES) substrates by using a low temperature hydrothermal route. The structural properties of ZnO depended highly on the precursor concentration. The effect of a thin ZnO seed layer deposited the on PES substrate by using atomic layer deposition on the structural and the optical properties of ZnO hydrothermally grown on the ZnO seed layer/PES substrates was studied. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and photoluminescence (PL) measurements were employed to analyze the characteristics of hydrothermally-grown ZnO. The diameter of the ZnO nanorods grown on the ZnO seed layer/PES substrates increased with increasing precursor concentration from 0.025 to 0.125 M due to the Ostwald ripening process. ZnO hydrothermally-grown on the ZnO seed layer/PES substrates at a low precursor concentration showed better structural properties than ZnO formed without a seed layer. Well-formed ZnO nanorods deposited on the ZnO seed layer/PES substrates showed two PL peaks, one in the ultraviolet and the other in the visible region, whereas horizontally positioned ZnO formed on the PES substrate in the absence of a seed layer emitted only one broad PL peak in the violet region. The ZnO grown on PES substrates in this work can be used as high-quality transparent electrodes for solar cells fabricated on flexible substrates.

Preparation and characterization of Ce-doped ZnO nanofibers by an electrospinning method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jong-Pil Kim

2011-02-01

Full Text Available ZnO and Ce-doped ZnO Nanofibers on (111 Pt/SiO2/Si substrates were produced using an electrospinning technique. The as-prepared composite fibres were subjected to high-temperature calcination to produce inorganic fibers. After calcining at a temperature of 500 °C, the average diameter of the ZnO and Ce-doped ZnO nanofibers were determined to be 170 nm and 225 nm, respectively. The average grain size of the ZnO and Ce-doped ZnO nanofibers were about 50 nm and 57 nm, respectively. The microstructure, chemical bonding state and photoluminescence of the produced ZnO and Ce-doped ZnO nanofibers were investigated. The Ce-doped ZnO nanofiber can be assigned to the presence of Ce ions on substitutional sites of Zn ions and the Ce3+ state from X-ray photoelectron spectra. Compared with PL spectra of ZnO nanofibers, the peak position of the UV emission of the Ce-doped ZnO nanofibers is sharply suppressed while the green emission band is highly enhanced.

Bipolar resistive switching characteristics of low temperature grown ZnO thin films by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jian; Yang Hui; Zhang Qilong; Dong Shurong; Luo, J. K.

2013-01-01

ZnO films deposited by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) have been used to investigate resistive memory behavior. The bipolar resistance switching properties were observed in the Al/PEALD-ZnO/Pt devices. The resistance ratio for the high and low resistance states (HRS/LRS) is more than 10 3 , better than ZnO devices deposited by other methods. The dominant conduction mechanisms of HRS and LRS are trap-controlled space charge limited current and Ohmic behavior, respectively. The resistive switching behavior is induced upon the formation/disruption of conducting filaments. This study demonstrated that the PEALD-ZnO films have better properties for the application in 3D resistance random access memory.

Theoretical prediction of low-density hexagonal ZnO hollow structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tuoc, Vu Ngoc, E-mail: tuoc.vungoc@hust.edu.vn [Institute of Engineering Physics, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, 1 Dai Co Viet Road, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Huan, Tran Doan [Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3136 (United States); Thao, Nguyen Thi [Institute of Engineering Physics, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, 1 Dai Co Viet Road, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Hong Duc University, 307 Le Lai, Thanh Hoa City (Viet Nam); Tuan, Le Manh [Hong Duc University, 307 Le Lai, Thanh Hoa City (Viet Nam)

2016-10-14

Along with wurtzite and zinc blende, zinc oxide (ZnO) has been found in a large number of polymorphs with substantially different properties and, hence, applications. Therefore, predicting and synthesizing new classes of ZnO polymorphs are of great significance and have been gaining considerable interest. Herein, we perform a density functional theory based tight-binding study, predicting several new series of ZnO hollow structures using the bottom-up approach. The geometry of the building blocks allows for obtaining a variety of hexagonal, low-density nanoporous, and flexible ZnO hollow structures. Their stability is discussed by means of the free energy computed within the lattice-dynamics approach. Our calculations also indicate that all the reported hollow structures are wide band gap semiconductors in the same fashion with bulk ZnO. The electronic band structures of the ZnO hollow structures are finally examined in detail.

MOVPE growth and characterisation of ZnO properties for optoelectronic applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oleynik, N.

2007-03-07

In this work a new Metalorganic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE) method was developed for the growth and doping of high-quality ZnO films. ZnO is a unique optoelectronic material for the effective light generation in the green to the UV spectral range. Optoelectronic applications of ZnO require impurity-free monocrystalline films with smooth surfaces and low concentration of the defects in the crystal lattice. At the beginning of this work only few reports on MOVPE growth of polycrystalline ZnO existed. The low quality of ZnO is attributed to the lack of an epitaxially matched substrate, and gas-phase prereactions between the Zn- and O-precursors. To achieve control over the ZnO quality, several O-precursors were tested for the growth on GaN/Si(111) or GaN/Sapphire substrates at different reactor temperatures and pressures. ZnO layers with XRD rocking curve FWHMs of the (0002) reflection of 180'' and narrow cathodoluminescence of 1.3 meV of the dominant I{sub 8} emission were synthesized using a two-step growth procedure. In this procedure, ZnO is homoepitaxially grown at high temperature using N{sub 2}O as O-precursor on a low temperature grown ZnO buffer layer using tertiary-butanol as O-precursor. p-Type doping of ZnO, which usually exhibits n-type behaviour, is very difficult. This doping asymmetry represents an issue for ZnO-based devices. Beginning from 1992, a growing number of reports have been claiming a fabrication of p-type ZnO, but, due to the missing reproducibilty, they are still questionable. Native defects, non-stoichiometry, and hydrogen are sources of n-type conductivity of ZnO. Together with a low solubility of the potential p-type dopants and deep position of impurity levels, these factors partly explain p-type doping difficulties in ZnO. However, there is no fully described mechanism of the ZnO doping asymmetry yet. In this work, NH{sub 3}, unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMHy), diisobutylamine, and NO nitrogen precursors were studied

Mechanical properties of banana/kenaf fiber-reinforced hybrid polyester composites: Effect of woven fabric and random orientation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alavudeen, A.; Rajini, N.; Karthikeyan, S.; Thiruchitrambalam, M.; Venkateshwaren, N.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • This paper is presents the fabrications of kenaf/banana fiber hybrid composites. • Effect of weaving pattern and random orientation on mechanical properties was studied. • Role of interfacial adhesion due to chemical modifications were analyzed with the aid of SEM. • Hybridization of kenaf and banana fibers in plain woven composites exhibits maximum mechanical strength. - Abstract: The present work deals with the effect of weaving patterns and random orientatation on the mechanical properties of banana, kenaf and banana/kenaf fiber-reinforced hybrid polyester composites. Composites were prepared using the hand lay-up method with two different weaving patterns, namely, plain and twill type. Of the two weaving patterns, the plain type showed improved tensile properties compared to the twill type in all the fabricated composites. Furthermore, the maximum increase in mechanical strength was observed in the plain woven hybrid composites rather than in randomly oriented composites. This indicates minimum stress development at the interface of composites due to the distribution of load transfer along the fiber direction. Moreover, alkali (NaOH) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) treatments appear to provide an additional improvement in mechanical strength through enhanced interfacial bonding. Morphological studies of fractured mechanical testing samples were performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to understand the de-bonding of fiber/matrix adhesion

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.

Template-free sonochemical synthesis of flower-like ZnO nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Huawa [State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi' an 710072 (China); School of Science, Xi' an Polytechnic University, Xi' an 710048 (China); Fan, Huiqing, E-mail: hqfan3@163.com [State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi' an 710072 (China); Wang, Xin [Shaanxi Province Thin Film Technology and Optical Test Open Key Laboratory, School of Photoelectrical Engineering, Xi' an Technological University, Xi' an 710032 (China); Wang, Jing [State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi' an 710072 (China); Cheng, Pengfei; Zhang, Xiaojun [School of Science, Xi' an Polytechnic University, Xi' an 710048 (China)

2014-10-03

Flower-like ZnO nanostructures have been successfully synthesized via a facile and template-free sonochemical method, using zinc acetate and potassium hydroxide as reactants only. The as-synthesized flower-like ZnO nanostructures were composed of nanorods with the width of ∼300–400 nm and the length of ∼2–3 μm. The structures, morphologies and optical properties of the as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometry and Raman-scattering spectroscopy. A plausible formation mechanism of flower-like ZnO nanostructures was studied by SEM which monitors an intermediate morphology transformation of the product at the different ultrasonic time (t=80,90,95,105, and 120 min). - Highlights: • A facile and template-free sonochemical method to fabricate flower-like ZnO nanostructures was proposed. • The flower-like ZnO nanostructures follow the ingrowth of ZnO from the matrix of Zn(OH){sub 2} crystals. • The flower-like ZnO nanostructures are also expected to explore their application in the field of nano-electronic devices.

Electrodeposition of ZnO nano-wires lattices with a controlled morphology; Electrodepot de reseaux de nanofils de ZnO a morphologie controlee

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elias, J.; Tena-Zaera, R.; Katty, A.; Levy-Clement, C. [Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lab. de Chimie Metallurgique des Terres Rares, UPR 209, 94 - Thiais (France)

2006-07-01

In this work, it is shown that the electrodeposition is a changeable low cost method which allows, according to the synthesis conditions, to obtain not only plane thin layers of ZnO but different nano-structures too. In a first part, are presented the formation conditions of a compact thin layer of nanocrystalline ZnO electrodeposited on a conducing glass substrate. This layer plays a buffer layer role for the deposition of a lattice of ZnO nano-wires. The step of nano-wires nucleation is not only determined by the electrochemical parameters but by the properties of the buffer layer too as the grain sizes and its thickness. In this context, the use of an electrodeposition method in two steps allows to control the nano-wires length and diameter and their density. The morphology and the structural and optical properties of these nano-structures have been analyzed by different techniques as the scanning and transmission electron microscopy, the X-ray diffraction and the optical spectroscopy. These studies show that ZnO nano-structures are formed of monocrystalline ZnO nano-wires, presenting a great developed surface and a great optical transparency in the visible. These properties make ZnO a good material for the development of nano-structured photovoltaic cells as the extremely thin absorber cells (PV ETA) or those with dye (DSSC) which are generally prepared with porous polycrystalline TiO{sub 2}. Its replacement by a lattice of monocrystalline ZnO nano-wires allows to reduce considerably the number of grain boundaries and in consequence to improve the transport of the electrons. The results are then promising for the PV ETA cells with ZnO nano-wires. (O.M.)

Study of copper doping effects on structural, optical and electrical properties of sprayed ZnO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mhamdi, A.; Mimouni, R.; Amlouk, A.; Amlouk, M.; Belgacem, S.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The sprayed Cu-doped ZnO thin layers films were well crystallised in hexagonal wurtzite phase. • Nanoncrystallites on clusters were observed whose density decreases especially at 2% Cu content. • This parallel circuit R–C represents the contribution of the grain boundaries delineating the oriented columnar microcrystallites along c-axis. - Abstract: Copper-doped zinc oxide thin films (ZnO:Cu) at different percentages (1–3%) were deposited on glass substrates using a chemical spray technique. The effect of Cu concentration on the structural, morphology and optical properties of the ZnO:Cu thin films were investigated. XRD analysis revealed that all films consist of single phase ZnO and were well crystallised in würtzite phase with the crystallites preferentially oriented towards (0 0 2) direction parallel to c-axis. The Film surface was analyzed by contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) in order to understand the effect of the doping on the surface structure. Doping by copper resulted in a slight decrease in the optical band gap energy of the films and a noticeably change in optical constants. From the spectroscopy impedance analysis we investigated the frequency relaxation phenomenon and the circuit equivalent circuit of such thin layers. Finally, all results have been discussed in terms of the copper doping concentration

CBE growth of high-quality ZnO epitaxial layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Shaer, A.; Bakin, A.; Mofor, A.C.; Kreye, M.; Waag, A. [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Blaesing, J.; Krost, A. [Institute of Experimental Physics, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg (Germany); Stoimenos, J. [Physics Department, Aristotele University, Univ. Campus, 54006 Thessaloniki (Greece); Pecz, B. [Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 49, 1525 Budapest (Hungary); Heuken, M. [Aixtron AG, Kackertstr. 15-17, 52072 Aachen (Germany)

2006-03-15

Further improvements on the recently reported novel approach to zinc oxide Chemical Beam Epitaxy (CBE) are presented. Hydrogen peroxide is employed as a very efficient novel oxidant. ZnO layers with a thickness from 100 nm to 600 nm were grown on c-sapphire using a MgO buffer. PL-mapping as well as conductivity mapping shows a good uniformity across the 2 inch ZnO-on-sapphire epiwafers. The measured surface roughness for the best layers is as low as 0.26 nm. HRXRD measurements of the obtained ZnO layers show excellent quality of the single crystalline ZnO. The FWHM of the HRXRD (0002) rocking curves measured for the 2 inch ZnO-on-sapphire wafers is as low as 27 arcsec with a very high lateral homogeneity across the whole wafer. Plane view HRTEM observations reveal the very good quality of the ZnO films. The results indicate that CBE is a suitable technique to fabricate ZnO of very high structural quality, which can eventually be used as an alternative to bulk ZnO substrates. (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

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.

Atomic absorption photometry of excess Zn in ZnO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lott, K.; Shinkarenko, S.; Tuern, L. [Department of Materials Science, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia); Kirsanova, T.; Grebennik, A.; Vishnjakov, A. [Department of Physical Chemistry, D. Mendelejev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Miusskaya Sq. 9, 125047 Moscow (Russian Federation)

2005-02-01

Zn excess in ZnO is built up automatically at high temperatures. Excess Zn in hydrothermally grown ZnO single crystals were investigated by the atomic absorption photometry (AAP) method. To determine the excess zinc in ZnO samples, the AAP of zinc vapour was used in the conditions of solid-vapour equilibrium. Zn AAP allowed to eliminate excess Zn connected differentially in ZnO samples. To fix Zn non-stoichiometry, all the ZnO samples tested were previously heat treated at temperature interval from 850 to 900 C and at fixed Zn vapour pressures from 0.1 to 0.9 of saturated zinc vapour pressure at given treatment temperature. The analysis of temperature dependence of zinc vapour pressure indicated that the impurity metals take active role in the determination of non-stoichiometric zinc. The impurities Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu form oxides which will reduce during annealing in Zn vapor up to metals form. During AAP measurement in optical cuvette, these metals react with ZnO and give additional Zn vapor pressure. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Resonant exciton-phonon coupling in ZnO nanorods at room temperature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soumee Chakraborty

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Vibronic and optoelectronic properties, along with detailed studies of exciton-phonon coupling at room temperature (RT for random and aligned ZnO nanorods are reported. Excitation energy dependent Raman studies are performed for detailed analysis of multi-phonon processes in the nanorods. We report here the origin of coupling between free exciton and its associated phonon replicas, including its higher order modes, in the photoluminescence spectra at RT. Resonance of excitonic electron and resonating first order zone center LO phonon, invoked strongly by Frolich interaction, are made responsible for the observed phenomenon.

Direct current magnetron sputter-deposited ZnO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoon, Jian-Wei; Chan, Kah-Yoong; Krishnasamy, Jegenathan; Tou, Teck-Yong; Knipp, Dietmar

2011-01-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a very promising electronic material for emerging transparent large-area electronic applications including thin-film sensors, transistors and solar cells. We fabricated ZnO thin films by employing direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering deposition technique. ZnO films with different thicknesses ranging from 150 nm to 750 nm were deposited on glass substrates. The deposition pressure and the substrate temperature were varied from 12 mTorr to 25 mTorr, and from room temperature to 450 deg. C, respectively. The influence of the film thickness, deposition pressure and the substrate temperature on structural and optical properties of the ZnO films was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrometer. The experimental results reveal that the film thickness, deposition pressure and the substrate temperature play significant role in the structural formation and the optical properties of the deposited ZnO thin films.

Defect-induced magnetic order in pure ZnO films

Science.gov (United States)

Khalid, M.; Ziese, M.; Setzer, A.; Esquinazi, P.; Lorenz, M.; Hochmuth, H.; Grundmann, M.; Spemann, D.; Butz, T.; Brauer, G.; Anwand, W.; Fischer, G.; Adeagbo, W. A.; Hergert, W.; Ernst, A.

2009-07-01

We have investigated the magnetic properties of pure ZnO thin films grown under N2 pressure on a -, c -, and r -plane Al2O3 substrates by pulsed-laser deposition. The substrate temperature and the N2 pressure were varied from room temperature to 570°C and from 0.007 to 1.0 mbar, respectively. The magnetic properties of bare substrates and ZnO films were investigated by SQUID magnetometry. ZnO films grown on c - and a -plane Al2O3 substrates did not show significant ferromagnetism. However, ZnO films grown on r -plane Al2O3 showed reproducible ferromagnetism at 300 K when grown at 300-400°C and 0.1-1.0 mbar N2 pressure. Positron annihilation spectroscopy measurements as well as density-functional theory calculations suggest that the ferromagnetism in ZnO films is related to Zn vacancies.

Effect of Mg doping in the gas-sensing performance of RF-sputtered ZnO thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Vinoth, E.; Gowrishankar, S.; Gopalakrishnan, N.

2018-06-01

Thin films of Mg-free and Mg-doped (3, 10 and 20 mol%) ZnO thin films have been deposited on Si (100) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering for gas-sensing application. Preferential orientation along (002) plane with hexagonal wurtzite structure has been observed in X-ray diffraction analysis. The conductivity, resistivity, and mobility of the deposited films have been measured by Hall effect measurement. The bandgap of the films has been calculated from the UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy. It has been found that the bandgap was increased from 3.35 to 3.91 eV with Mg content in ZnO due to the radiative recombination of excitons. The change in morphology of the grown films has been investigated by scanning electron microscope. Gas-sensing measurements have been conducted for fabricated films. The sensor response, selectivity, and stability measurement were done for the fabricated films. Though better response was found towards ethanol, methanol, and ammonia for MZ2 (Mg at 10 mol%) film and maximum gas response was observed towards ammonia. The selectivity measurement reveals maximum sensitivity about 42% for ammonia. The low response time of 123 s and recovery time of 152 s towards ammonia were observed for MZ2 (Mg at 10 mol%). Stability of the Mg-doped ZnO thin film confirmed by the continuous sensing measurements for 4 months.

Luminescence of colloidal ZnO nanoparticles synthesized in alcohols and biological application of ZnO passivated by MgO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sikora, Bożena; Fronc, Krzysztof; Kamińska, Izabela; Elbaum, Danek; Koper, Kamil; Stępień, Piotr

2013-01-01

This report presents the results of spectroscopic measurements of colloidal ZnO nanoparticles synthesized in various alcohols. Luminescence of colloidal ZnO was monitored under different reaction conditions to elucidate the mechanism of the visible emission. We performed the process in different alcohols, temperatures and reaction times for two different reactants: water and NaOH. Based on the presented and previously published results it is apparent that the luminescence of the nanoparticles is influenced by several competing phenomena: the formation of new nucleation centers, the growth of the nanoparticles and surface passivation. Superimposed on the above effects is a size dependent luminescence alteration resulting from the quantum confinement. The study contributes to our understanding of the origin of ZnO nanoparticles’ green emission which is important in a rational design of fluorescent probes for nontoxic biological applications. The ZnO nanoparticles were coated with a magnesium oxide layer and introduced into a HeLa cancer cell. (paper)

Luminescence of colloidal ZnO nanoparticles synthesized in alcohols and biological application of ZnO passivated by MgO.

Science.gov (United States)

Sikora, Bożena; Fronc, Krzysztof; Kamińska, Izabela; Koper, Kamil; Stępień, Piotr; Elbaum, Danek

2013-05-15

This report presents the results of spectroscopic measurements of colloidal ZnO nanoparticles synthesized in various alcohols. Luminescence of colloidal ZnO was monitored under different reaction conditions to elucidate the mechanism of the visible emission. We performed the process in different alcohols, temperatures and reaction times for two different reactants: water and NaOH. Based on the presented and previously published results it is apparent that the luminescence of the nanoparticles is influenced by several competing phenomena: the formation of new nucleation centers, the growth of the nanoparticles and surface passivation. Superimposed on the above effects is a size dependent luminescence alteration resulting from the quantum confinement. The study contributes to our understanding of the origin of ZnO nanoparticles' green emission which is important in a rational design of fluorescent probes for nontoxic biological applications. The ZnO nanoparticles were coated with a magnesium oxide layer and introduced into a HeLa cancer cell.

Synthesis of ordered large-scale ZnO nanopore arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, G.Q.; Shen, W.Z.; Zheng, M.J.; Fan, D.H.

2006-01-01

An effective approach is demonstrated for growing ordered large-scale ZnO nanopore arrays through radio-frequency magnetron sputtering deposition on porous alumina membranes (PAMs). The realization of highly ordered hexagonal ZnO nanopore arrays benefits from the unique properties of ZnO (hexagonal structure, polar surfaces, and preferable growth directions) and PAMs (controllable hexagonal nanopores and localized negative charges). Further evidence has been shown through the effects of nanorod size and thermal treatment of PAMs on the yielded morphology of ZnO nanopore arrays. This approach opens the possibility of creating regular semiconducting nanopore arrays for the application of filters, sensors, and templates

Integrated ZnO nanotube arrays as efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xi, Y., E-mail: yxi6@cqu.edu.cn [Department of Applied Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0245 (United States); Wu, W.Z.; Fang, H. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0245 (United States); Hu, C.G. [Department of Applied Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China)

2012-07-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Tuning the reaction parameters, we got the best reaction conditions on ITO glass. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Introduce ZnO NTs design of photoanode featuring high aspect ratio structure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The design strategy integrates the optical fibers or ITO with ZnO NTs grown. - Abstract: Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a wide band gap semiconducting material and has been considered as an alternative material in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications. A high-performance nanotube (NT) photoanode must have a large surface area for dye adsorption in order to enhance conversion efficiency. In this work, the way of hydrothermally grown ZnO NT arrays on the indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate is presented by utilizing a systematic study. By adjusting the hydrothermal reaction parameters, we attained the optimizing reaction conditions on the ITO substrate. Moreover, ZnO NT arrays are introduced as a photoanode on various substrates, such as optical fiber and ITO glass, for DSSCs applications. We took the contrast test with conversion efficiency of the DSSC based on ZnO NT arrays versus ZnO nanowire arrays on the ITO substrate, which the DSSC based on ZnO NT arrays shows significantly enhanced power conversion efficiency. Furthermore, the conversion efficiency of DSSC based on the ZnO NT arrays grown on an optical fiber substrate is enhanced up to 1.44%.

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.

ZnO Nanoparticles Affect Bacillus subtilis Cell Growth and Biofilm Formation.

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Yi-Huang Hsueh

Full Text Available Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs are an important antimicrobial additive in many industrial applications. However, mass-produced ZnO NPs are ultimately disposed of in the environment, which can threaten soil-dwelling microorganisms that play important roles in biodegradation, nutrient recycling, plant protection, and ecological balance. This study sought to understand how ZnO NPs affect Bacillus subtilis, a plant-beneficial bacterium ubiquitously found in soil. The impact of ZnO NPs on B. subtilis growth, FtsZ ring formation, cytosolic protein activity, and biofilm formation were assessed, and our results show that B. subtilis growth is inhibited by high concentrations of ZnO NPs (≥ 50 ppm, with cells exhibiting a prolonged lag phase and delayed medial FtsZ ring formation. RedoxSensor and Phag-GFP fluorescence data further show that at ZnO-NP concentrations above 50 ppm, B. subtilis reductase activity, membrane stability, and protein expression all decrease. SDS-PAGE Stains-All staining results and FT-IR data further demonstrate that ZnO NPs negatively affect exopolysaccharide production. Moreover, it was found that B. subtilis biofilm surface structures became smooth under ZnO-NP concentrations of only 5-10 ppm, with concentrations ≤ 25 ppm significantly reducing biofilm formation activity. XANES and EXAFS spectra analysis further confirmed the presence of ZnO in co-cultured B. subtilis cells, which suggests penetration of cell membranes by either ZnO NPs or toxic Zn+ ions from ionized ZnO NPs, the latter of which may be deionized to ZnO within bacterial cells. Together, these results demonstrate that ZnO NPs can affect B. subtilis viability through the inhibition of cell growth, cytosolic protein expression, and biofilm formation, and suggest that future ZnO-NP waste management strategies would do well to mitigate the potential environmental impact engendered by the disposal of these nanoparticles.

Dye-sensitized solar cells with a tri-layer ZnO photo-electrode