TITLE:
Synthesis of Aluminum-doped Zinc Oxide Nanowires Hydrothermally Grown on Plastic Substrate
AUTHORS:
Concepción Mejía García, Elvia Díaz Valdés, Ana Ma. Paniagua Mercado, Arturo F. Méndez Sánchez, José A. Andraca Adame, Velumani Subramaniam, Josué Romero Ibarra
KEYWORDS:
Nanowires; ZnO; ZnO:Al Nanowires; Spin Coating; Hydrothermal Process
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Materials Physics and Chemistry,
Vol.2 No.4B,
January
9,
2013
ABSTRACT: We report the synthesis of undoped ZnO and Al-doped ZnO (ZnO:Al) nanowires grown using a two-step process: (a) preparation of the seed layer, and (b) growth of the nanostructures. In the first step, 10 mM solutions of zinc acetate dihydrate and 1-propanol were spin coated on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate at 2000 rpm by 30 s. Vertical nanowires were then grown by dipping the substrates in an equimolar solution of zinc nitrate hexahydrate and hexamethylenetetramine. As doping source, aluminum nitrate nonahydrate powders were added in the solution. In the solutions, Al doping concentrations were established as 0.5 At %, 1.0 At %, 2.0 At % and 3.0 At %, respectively. The hydrothermal process were carried out with a commercially microwave at 140 W power setting. The nanowires were characterized optically and morphologically. XRD patterns show the presence of ZnO, Zn(OH)2 and Zn6Al2O9. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that the size of ZnO nanowires was 50 nm in diameter. The undoped ZnO and ZnO:Al nanowires bandgap energy was obtained from optical transmission spectra.