Effects of Growth Conditions on Structural Properties of ZnO Nanostructures on Sapphire Substrate by Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

Influence of Y-doped induced defects on the optical and magnetic properties of ZnO nanorod arrays prepared by low-temperature hydrothermal process

One-dimensional pure zinc oxide (ZnO) and Y-doped ZnO nanorod arrays have been successfully fabricated on the silicon substrate for comparison by a simple hydrothermal process at the low temperature of 90°C. The Y-doped nanorods exhibit the same c-axis-oriented wurtzite hexagonal structure as pure ZnO nanorods. Based on the results of photoluminescence, an enhancement of defect-induced green-yellow visible emission is observed for the Y-doped ZnO nanorods. The decrease of E2(H) mode intensity and increase of E1(LO) mode intensity examined by the Raman spectrum also indicate the increase of defects for the Y-doped ZnO nanorods. As compared to pure ZnO nanorods, Y-doped ZnO nanorods show a remarked increase of saturation magnetization. The combination of visible photoluminescence and ferromagnetism measurement results indicates the increase of oxygen defects due to the Y doping which plays a crucial role in the optical and magnetic performances of the ZnO nanorods.

Study of a sandwich structure of transparent conducting oxide films prepared by electron beam evaporation at room temperature

Transparent conducting ZnO/Ag/ZnO multilayer electrodes having electrical resistance much lower than that of widely used transparent electrodes were prepared by ion-beam-assisted deposition (IAD) under oxygen atmosphere. The optical parameters were optimized by admittance loci analysis to show that the transparent conducting oxide (TCO) film can achieve an average transmittance of 93%. The optimum thickness for high optical transmittance and good electrical conductivity was found to be 11 nm for Ag thin films and 40 nm for ZnO films, based on the admittance diagram. By designing the optical thickness of each ZnO layer and controlling process parameters such as IAD power when fabricating dielectric-metal-dielectric films at room temperature, we can obtain an average transmittance of 90% in the visible region and a bulk resistivity of 5 × 10-5 Ω-cm. These values suggest that the transparent ZnO/Ag/ZnO electrodes are suitable for use in dye-sensitized solar cells.

CHEMICAL DESIGN OF COMPLEX NANOSTRUCTURED METAL OXIDES IN SOLUTION

Nanostructured materials with controlled architectures are desirable for many applications, among which, metal oxides are especially important in optics, electronics, biology, catalysis, and energy conversions. Various chemical routes have been widely investigated for the synthesis of nanostructured metal oxide particles and films. More recently, deliberately designed chemical strategies have been used to produce particles and films composed of more complex crystal structures. In this paper, we discuss some recent progresses in the design of complex nanostructures through chemical routes, emphasize particularly on metal oxides. We first review some basic concepts involved in the fabrication of complex nanostructures, including crystal nucleation and growth, shape controlling and ripening process. We then describe more recent work on the use of different methods to synthesize a wide range of complex nanostructures, including hierarchical structures, heterostructures, as well as oriented nanowires and nanotubes. Such purposely built materials are designed, and engineered to match the physical, chemical, and structural requirements of their applications.