Field emission property of printed CNTs-mixed ZnO nanoneedles

ZnO nanoneedles were synthesized via thermal evaporation method without any catalyst. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy investigations showed that these products presented a nanoneedle structure. To enhance the field emission (FE) properties of screen printed ZnO nanoneedles, a given amount (0.05 g) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) mixed with (0.5 g) ZnO nanoneedles paste via screen printed method and heat-treatment at (600 °C, 500 °C and 450 °C) was presented. The CNTs-mixed ZnO nanoneedles heat-treated at 450 °C had the lowest turn-on field of 3.75 V/μm, highest field emission current of 0.16 mA at 7.5 V/μm and highest β of 830. An efficiency FE enhancement of 450 °C sample was attributed to melioration of conductance between ZnO nanoneedles and ITO surface by CNTs.     

Synthesis of ZnS hollow nanoneedles via the nanoscale Kirkendall effect

The facile synthesis of one-dimensional II–VI semiconductor hollow nanostructures with sharp tips is of particular interest for their applications in novel nanodevices. In this study, by employing ZnO nanoneedles with lower symmetry structures as self-sacrificed templates, ZnS hollow nanoneedles with homogeneous thickness have been synthesized by a low temperature hydrothermal route through in situ chemical conversion manner and the nanoscale Kirkendall effect. The hollow needlelike structures obtained in the present study can be used as starting materials to create fantastic nanoarchitectures and may have important applications in optoelectronic nanodevices.     

Synthesis and field emission properties of ZnO nanoneedle arrays grown at low temperatures via a thermal evaporation method

We have developed a straightforward and simple strategy for large-scale growth of well-aligned ZnO nanoneedles via a thermal evaporation method. XRD and SAED patterns of nanoneedles can be indexed to hexagonal ZnO with wurtzite structure. Room temperature photoluminescence analysis showed a strong ultra violet emission at 365 nm and a broad deep level visible emission at 472 nm. The growth mechanism of the nanoneedles has been investigated by SEM and the lower pressure of both evaporated zinc and oxygen flux would favor the nucleation of the finer nanowires from those previously formed high coverage spots. The field emission current density of ZnO nanoneedles sharply reached ~0.048 mA/cm² at a field of 3.1 V/m.     

Influence of solution parameters for the fast growth of ZnO nanostructures by laser-induced chemical liquid deposition

ZnO nanorods, nanoneedles, nanoparticles, and nanoballs were synthesized on fused quartz substrates upon irradiation of a droplet of methanolic zinc acetate dihydrate solution by an infrared (IR) continuous wave CO₂ laser for a few seconds. The addition of monoethanolamine and water to the solution improved the alignment of the nanorods and had a significant effect on the volume and morphology of the deposits. An increase of the zinc acetate concentration was found to lead to an increase of the thickness and area covered by the initial ZnO seed layer on which the nanostructures grew. By investigating the crystal structure of the deposits using X-ray and electron diffraction, we were able to show that the nanorods grow along the c axis with a high crystalline quality. Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy confirmed the high quality of the grown ZnO nanostructures. As a matter of fact, their photoluminescence spectra are dominated by an intense UV emission around 390 nm.     

Sol-gel synthesis of sub-50 nm ZnO nanowires on pulse laser deposited ZnO thin films

A simple synthesis route to high-quality sub-50 nm ZnO nanowires is reported, utilizing ZnO thin films grown by pulse laser deposition (PLD) as seed layers. Depending upon the PLD growth conditions, the surface morphology of the ZnO nanowires on ZnO film was distinctively different whereas the diameters were almost the same. With the increase of the concentration of zinc nitrate/methenamine solution from 0.002 to 0.02 M, the average diameter of the ZnO nanowire increased but remained sub-50 nm. The grown ZnO nanowires showed a high crystallinity with a low defect density confirmed by a sharp photoluminescence spectrum.     

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

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

Creation of novel ZnO nanostructures: self-assembled nanoribbon/nanoneedle junction networks and faceted nanoneedles on hexagonal microcrystals

ZnO nanoribbon/nanoneedle junction networks and faceted nanoneedle–microwhisker structures were grown for the first time by the evaporation of ZnS in the presence of oxygen under different reaction conditions. The nanoribbons/nanoneedles crossed each other in three specific directions to form network-like 2D junction structures and displayed a unique and perfect growth mode. For the faceted nanoneedle structure, the nanoneedle grew epitaxially on the (0002) plane of a ZnO microcrystal. These ZnO nanostructures might have potential applications in the development of nanoscale electronics and optics. PACS 61.46.+w; 81.07.Vb; 81.16.Be     

ZnO nanostructures with different morphologies and their field emission properties

Zinc oxide (ZnO) products with the morphologies of balls, nunchakus and belts have been synthesized from aqueous solutions by adjusting the reagent concentration and reaction time. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks of the products were indexed to ZnO materials, but exhibited different relative intensities for the (0 0 2) diffraction peak. Field emission (FE) measurements showed that the turn-on and threshold field for the ZnO nanonunchakus were 3.01 ± 0.005 and 5.47 ± 0.005, 3.71 ± 0.005 and 6.43 ± 0.005 V/μm, respectively, for the ZnO nanobelts, revealing that the products have comparable FE properties with those of the reported ZnO nanowires and carbon nanotubes (CNTs).     

Modulation of field emission properties of vertically aligned ZnO nanorods with aspect ratio and number density

Vertically aligned ZnO nanorod arrays with different aspect ratios were synthesized by hybrid wet chemical route. Modulation of the field emission properties (FE) with aspect ratio of ZnO nanorods was examined. With the increase in the aspect ratio, the emission current density increases from 0.02 to 8 μA/cm² at 7.0 V/μm. Turn-on voltage was seen to decrease from 9.6 to 7 V/μm at a current density of 10 μA/cm² with the increase in aspect ratio in the ZnO films. The interrelation between the FE characteristics (emission thresholds, current density, surface uniformity, etc.) and microstructure of the ZnO nanostructure obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) was discussed. Quality of the ZnO nanorods was also examined by using Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It was found that the observed enhancements of FE characteristics could mainly be attributed to the increase in aspect ratio and associated number density of ZnO nanorods.     

Comparative studies on structural and optical properties of ZnO films grown on c-plane sapphire and GaAs (001) by MOCVD

ZnO thin films were grown on c-plane sapphire and GaAs (001) substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Atomic force microscopy and double-crystal X-ray diffractometry were utilized to investigate the structural properties of the ZnO films. The optical properties of ZnO films were also investigated in terms of time integrated and resolved photoluminescence (TIPL and TRPL). Large hexagonal crystallites and better crystalline quality were observed from the ZnO film on sapphire. Also, both the TIPL and TRPL showed a significant difference as the substrate changed. In particular, a detected sharp contrast in the result of TRPL measurement is due to the different defect structure and the lattice strain and stress of ZnO films on different substrates.     

One-pot synthesis of ferromagnetic Fe2.25W0.75O4 nanoparticles as a magnetically recyclable photocatalyst

ZnO nanostructures, including nanowires, nanorods, and nanoneedles, have been deposited on GaAs substrates by the two-step chemical bath synthesis. It was demonstrated that the O₂-plasma treatment of GaAs substrates prior to the sol?Cgel deposition of seed layers was essential to conformally grow the nanostructures instead of 2D ZnO bunches and grains on the seed layers. Via adjusting the growth time and concentration of precursors, nanostructures with different average diameter (26?C225?nm), length (0.98?C2.29???m), and density (1.9?C15.3?×?10⁹?cm^?2) can be obtained. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of ZnO nanostructure arrays grown on GaAs substrates by the two-step chemical bath synthesis. As an anti-reflection layer on GaAs-based solar cells, the array of ZnO nanoneedles with an average diameter of 125?nm, a moderate length of 2.29???m, and the distribution density of 9.8?×?10⁹ cm^?2 has increased the power conversion efficiency from 7.3 to 12.2?%, corresponding to a 67?% improvement.     

Field emission and photoluminescence characteristics of ZnS nanowires via vapor phase growth

Large-area ZnS nanowires were synthesized through a vapor phase deposition method. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy results show that the products are composed of single crystalline ZnS nanowires with a cubic structure. The nanowires have sharp tips and are distributed uniformly on silicon substrates. The diameter of the bases is in the range of 320-530 nm and that of the tips is around 20-30 nm. The strong ultraviolet emission in the photoluminescence spectra also demonstrates that the ZnS nanowires are of high crystalline perfection. Field emission measurements reveal that the ZnS nanowires have a fairly low threshold field, which may be ascribed to their very sharp tips, rough surfaces and high crystal quality. The perfect field emission ability of the ZnS nanowires makes them a promising candidate for the fabrication of flexible cold cathodes.     

Effects of surface roughness on the electrical characteristics of ZnO nanowire field effect transistors

We have systematically investigated the effects of surface roughness on the electrical characteristics of ZnO nanowire field effect transistors (FETs) before and after passivation by poly (methyl metahacrylate) (PMMA), a polymer-insulating layer. To control the surface morphology of ZnO nanowires, ZnO nanowires were grown by the vapor transport method on two different substrates, namely, an Au-catalyzed sapphire and an Au-catalyzed ZnO film/sapphire. ZnO nanowires grown on the Au-catalyzed sapphire substrate had smooth surfaces, whereas those grown on the Au-catalyzed ZnO film had rough surfaces. Electrical characteristics such as the threshold voltage shift and transconductance before and after passivation were strongly affected by the surface morphology of ZnO nanowires.     

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

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

Aligned growth of ZnO nanowires by NAPLD and their optical characterizations

Not only vertically aligned ZnO nanowires but also horizontally aligned ZnO nanowires have been successfully grown on the annealed (0 0 0 1) c-cut and (1 1 2 0) a-cut sapphire substrates, respectively using catalyst-free nanoparticle-assisted pulsed-laser ablation deposition (NAPLD). The as-synthesized ZnO nanowires exhibit an ultraviolet emission at around 390 nm and the absent green emission under room temperature. The single ZnO nanowire was collected in the electrode gap by dielectrophoresis (DEP). Under the optical pumping, the single ZnO nanowire exhibited UV emission at around 390 nm with several sharp peaks whose energy spacings are almost constant, which greatly differs from the broad UV emission of the film with many nanowires, suggesting ZnO nanowires as candidates for laser media. The single ZnO nanowire showed polarized photoluminescence (PL). The as-synthesized ZnO nanowires could find many interesting applications in short-wavelength light-emitting diode (LED), laser diode and gas sensor.     

Superhydrophobic surfaces based on dandelion-like ZnO microspheres

This study presents a simple method to fabricate superhydrophobic surface based on ZnO nanoneedles. ZnO nanoneedles had been constructed on zinc layers by immersing in an aqueous NH₄OH solution at 80 °C. The ZnO films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The ZnO films exhibited excellent superhydrophilicity (contact angle for water was 0°), while they changed wettability to superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle greater than 150° after further chemical modification with n-dodecanoic acid. The procedure reported here only needs readily available reagents and laboratory equipments, which can be applied to various substrates of any size and shape.     

Raman Spectroscopy and Magnetic Properties of Mn-Doped ZnO Bulk Single Crystal

Mn doped ZnO bulk single crystals are grown by the modified Bridgman method. The as-grown crystals are red in eolour. The additional Raman mode observed at 524cm^-1 is attributed to the Mn ions incorporating into ZnO crystal. The crystal exhibited paramagnetie under lower applied field below 2280 Oe. Then diamagnetism is observed in the crystal when the magnetic field rises up and becomes dominant under applied field above 5270 Oe. The magnetic susceptibility dependence on the temperature follows a Curie law indicating a typical paramagnetie characteristic under an applied field of 2kOe. No ferromagnetic ordering is observed in the as-grown Mn-doped ZnO crystal.     

Nanointegration of ZnO with Si and SiC

The study is dedicated to some aspects of the controlled heteroepitaxial growth of nanoscaled ZnO structures and an investigation of their general and dimension mediated properties. ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by optimized MOCVD process via two growth approaches: (i) catalyst free self-organized growth of ZnO on Si substrates and (ii) ZnO heteroepitaxy on p-type hexagonal 4H-SiC substrates. The SiC substrate was prepared by sublimation epitaxy and served as a template for the ZnO epitaxial growth. The epitaxial growth of n-ZnO on p-SiC resulted in a regular matrix of well-faceted hexagonally shaped ZnO single crystals. The achievement of ZnO integration with Si encompasses controlled growth of vertically oriented nanosized ZnO pillars. The grown structures were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and microphotoluminescence. Low concentration of native defects due to a stoichiometry balance, advanced optical emission, (excitonic type near-band-edge emission and negligible defect related luminescence) and continuous interfaces (epitaxial relationship ZnO_[0 0 0 1]/SiC_[0 0 0 1]) are evidenced. The ZnO nanopillars were further probed as field emitters: the grown structures exhibits advanced field emission properties, which are explained in term of dimensionality and spatial uniformity of the nanopillars. The present results contribute to understanding and resolving growth and device related issues of ZnO as a functional nanostructured material.     

Structural and optical properties of Au-implanted ZnO films

The structural and luminescence related optical behaviours of Au ion implanted ZnO films grown by magnetic sputtering and their post implantation annealing behaviours in the temperature range of 100-700 °C have been investigated. Optical absorption and transmittance spectra of the films indicate that band edge of Au-implanted ZnO has shifted to high energy range and optical band gap has increased, because the sharp difference of thermal expansion induces the lattice mismatch between ZnO and SiO₂. PL spectra reveal that UV and visible luminescence bands of ZnO films can be improved after thermal annealing due to recovery of defects and Au ions incorporation. Importantly, green luminescence band of 530 nm has been only observed in the Au-implanted and subsequently annealed ZnO films and it enhances with the increasing annealing temperature, which can be related to Au atoms or clusters in ZnO films. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements reveal that the Au⁰ is dominant state in Au implanted and annealed ZnO films. Possible mechanisms, such as optical transitions of Au atoms or clusters and deep level luminescence of ZnO, have been proposed for green emission.     

电化学方法制备ZnO纳米颗粒掺杂类金刚石薄膜及其场发射性能研究

采用液相电化学沉积技术制备了ZnO纳米颗粒掺杂的类金刚石(DLC)薄膜, 研究了ZnO纳米颗粒掺杂对DLC薄膜场发射性能的影响. 利用X射线光电子能谱、透射电子显微镜、Raman光谱以及原子力显微镜分别对薄膜的化学组成、 微观结构和表面形貌进行了表征. 结果表明: 薄膜中的ZnO纳米颗粒具有纤锌矿结构, 其含量随着电解液中Zn源的增加而增加. ZnO纳米颗粒掺杂增强了DLC薄膜的石墨化和表面粗糙度. 场发射测试表明, ZnO纳米颗粒掺杂能提高DLC薄膜的场发射性能, 其中Zn与Zn+C的原子比为10.3%的样品在外加电场强度为20.7 V/μm时电流密度达到了1 mA/cm². 薄膜场发射性能的提高归因于ZnO掺杂引起的表面粗糙度和DLC薄膜石墨化程度的增加.