Microwave-assisted synthesis and characterization of ZnO-nanorod arrays

High density ZnO-nanorod arrays(rod length 1.59μm)were successfully synthesized via a microwave-assisted solution-phase method using zinc chloride and ammonia solution as reactants.The influence of concentration of ammonia solution, work power,and microwave irradiation time on the morphology and size of final products was carefully investigated.The crystal structure,chemical composition and morphologies of final products were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and photoluminescence(PL).The as-synthesized ZnO is composed of single crystalline and possesses three photoluminescence emissions centered at 400,469 and 534.5 nm,respectively.

Microstructure Characterization of Single-crystal ZnO Nanorods Synthesized by Solvothermal at Low Temperature

Single-crystalline ZnO nanorods have been synthesized by a simple solvothermal process at low temperature. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） observations have confirmed that the as-synthesized products have rod-like morphologies with diameters ranging from several nanometers to 30 nm and lengths from 100 nm to 2 μm. Such hexagonal ZnO nanorods are structurally uniform and the growth direction is identified to be [0001]. Growth mechanism of the ZnO nanorods was proposed.

Effect of KOH treatment on structural and photovoltaic properties of ZnO nanorod arrays

ZnO nanorod arrays （NRs） were synthesized on the fluorine-doped SnO2 transparent conductive glass （FTO） by a simple chemical bath deposition （CBD） method combined with alkali-etched method in potassium hydroxide （KOH） solution. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and current-voltage （I-V） curve were used to characterize the structure, morphologies and optoelectronic properties. The results demonstrated that ZnO NRs had wurtzite structures, the morphologies and photovoltaic properties of ZnO NRs were closely related to the concentration of KOH and etching time, well-aligned and uniformly distributed ZnO NRs were obtained after etching with 0.1 mol/L KOH for 1 h. ZnO NRs treated by KOH had been proved to have superior photovoltaic properties compared with high density ZnO NRs. When using ZnO NRs etched with 0.1 mol/L KOH for 1 h as the anode of solar cell, the conversion efficiency, short circuit current and open circuit voltage, compared with the unetched ZnO NRs, increased by 0.71%, 2.79 mA and 0.03 V, respectively.

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Field Enhancement Behavior of ZnO Nanorods Pattern

We provide a new way to prepare ZnO nanorods pattern from the solution composed of hexamethylenetetramine （HMT） and Zn（NO3）2. The substrate is ITO substrate covered by well ordered Au islands. Since Au and the underneath ITO substrate have two different nucleation rates in the initial stage of heterogeneous nucleation process, the subsequent ZnO growth on the quick nucleating area takes place under diffusion control and is able to confine the synthesis of ZnO nanorods to specific locations. The concentrations of zinc nitrate and HMT are well adjusted to show the possibility of the new route for the patterning of the ZnO nanorods. Furthermore, the nanorods pattern was characterized by X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence and the performance of field emission property from ZnO nanorod patterns was investigated. The ZnO nanorods pattern with a good alignment also shows a good field enhancement behavior with a high value of the field enhancement factor.

Effect of annealing treatment on morphologies and gas sensing properties of ZnO nanorods

The high-temperature stabilization of ZnO nanorods synthesized by hydrothermal treatment was investigated. The structure and morphologies of ZnO nanorods were characterized by XRD and SEM, respectively. The thermal stability of ZnO nanorods was also detected by thermal gravity analyzing. Thermal annealing treatment results indicate that ZnO nanorods are fundamentally stable when annealing temperature is lower than 600 ℃. When annealing temperature is beyond 600℃, the diameters of ZnO nanorods obviously decrease and the aggravating tendency of nanorods between each other also increase. Annealing treatment can greatly influence the gas sensing properties of ZnO nanorods. Comparing with ZnO nanorods without annealing treatment, the gas sensing property of ZnO nanorods to H2 with concentration of 2.5×10-6 can increase from 2.22 to 3.56. ZnO nanorods annealed at 400 ℃ exhibit optimum gas sesing property to H2 gas.

Pt NPs增强ZnO@ZnS核-壳异质纳米棒光催化产氢性能研究

采用原位光沉积方法将铂纳米颗粒(Pt NPs)负载在核-壳异质纳米棒ZnO@ZnS表面,制备出ZnO@ZnS/Pt复合光催化剂。调控Pt NPs在ZnO@ZnS表面的负载量,探究了不同质量的Pt NPs对光催化产氢气性能的影响。结果表明,当贵金属Pt的负载量为2%(ZnO@ZnS/Pt-2)时,复合光催化产H_(2)性能最好,产氢速率为4.52 mmol/(g·h),是ZnO@ZnS的1.8倍,催化剂表现出优异的催化稳定性。在此复合材料中,贵金属Pt纳米颗粒作为助催化剂,Pt对H~+具有较低的吸附能,优先吸附H~+,光生电子转移到Pt纳米粒子表面,H^(+)在其表面得到光生电子,被还原为氢气,成功地抑制了光生电子和空穴的复合,有效地提升了催化剂的催化性能。

TPU/Nano-ZnO复合改性沥青的性能研究及微观机制

为促进聚合物/纳米改性沥青在耐久性路面中的应用,在实验室将不同掺量的聚氨酯及纳米氧化锌添加到A-70#基质沥青中制备了复合改性沥青。采用传统物理性能试验、动态剪切流变试验(DSR)、弯曲梁流变试验(BBR)研究了其物理性能与流变特性,基于响应面法的优化设计来明确两种改性剂的最佳掺量。借助傅里叶红外光谱试验(FTIR)对其微观改性机理进行探讨。采用高压紫外汞灯环境箱对改性沥青进行不同时间的紫外老化,分析其抗紫外老化能力,并基于主成分分析法评价了老化性能测试指标的显著性。结果表明:聚氨酯与纳米氧化锌的共同作用提高了基质沥青的高温稳定性及低温抗裂性,两种改性剂的最佳掺量分别为5%、3%。根据FTIR结果,复合改性沥青的改性过程既存在物理共混,又有化学加成反应。聚氨酯及纳米氧化锌的加入在基质沥青紫外老化过程中能够抑制羰基、亚砜基等极性基团的生成,复数剪切模量、羰基指数、劲度模量及亚砜基指数对沥青紫外老化性能的影响最为显著。

Synthesis of ZnO nanorods and their optical absorption in visible-light region

Single crystalline ZnO nanorods were prepared by the hydrothermal method with synthesized ZnCl2·4Zn（OH）2 as the precursor. Morphologies of the nanorods were controlled by various reaction conditions with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide （CTAB） as the modifying agent. The nanorods were characterized by XRD, TEM, UV-Vis spectra, and IR spectra. The microstructure of holes in nanosize was observed on the surface of the nanorods. The UV-Vis spectra indicate that the as-prepared ZnO nanorods have absorption of visible-hght as well as ultraviolet-light. Therefore, these nanorods may be good candidates for visible-light photocatalysis materials from the viewpoint of practical applications. The reason for visible-light absorption was discussed in this article.

Controllable Hydrothermal Synthesis and Properties of ZnO Hierarchical Micro/Nanostructures

A simple hydrothermal route has been developed for the fabricating Zn O hierarchical micro/nanostructure with excellent reproducibility. SEM and TEM analysis show that the hierarchical rod is a single-crystal, suggesting that many single-crystal micro/nanorods are assembled into Zn O hierarchical micro/nanostructures. The morphologies of the hierarchical rods can be conveniently tailored by changing the reaction parameters. And we also found citric acid plays a crucial role in the formation process of Zn O micro/nanostructures. Room-temperature photoluminescence spectra reveals that the Zn O hierarchical micro/nanostructures have a strong emission peak at 440 nm and several weak emission peaks at 420, 471 and541 nm, respectively.

Effects of surface adsorbed oxygen, applied voltage, and temperature on UV photoresponse of ZnO nanorods

The ultraviolet（UV） photoresponses of ZnO nanorods directly grown on and between two micro Au-electrodes by using electric-field-assisted wet chemical method are measured comprehensively under different conditions, including ambient environment, applied bias voltage, gate voltage and temperature. Experimental results indicate that the photoresponses of the ZnO nanorods can be modulated by surface oxygen adsorptions, applied voltages, as well as temperatures. A model taking into account both surface adsorbed oxygen and electron-hole activities inside ZnO nanorods is proposed. The enhancement effect of the bias voltage on photoresponse is also analyzed. Experimental results shows that the UV response time（to 63%） of ZnO nanorods in air and at 59°C could be shortened from 34.8 s to 0.24 s with a bias of 4 V applied between anode and cathode.

Synthesis, characterization and biocompatibility studies of zinc oxide(ZnO) nanorods for biomedical application

Nanoparticles are increasingly being recognized for their potential utility in biological applications including nanomedicine.Here,we have synthesized zinc oxide(ZnO)nanorods using zinc acetate and hexamethylenetetramine as precursors followed by characterizing using X-ray diffraction,fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.The growth of synthesized zinc oxide nanorods was found to be very close to its hexagonal nature,which is confirmed by X-ray diffraction.The nanorod was grown perpendicular to the long-axis and grew along the[001]direction,which is the nature of ZnO growth.The morphology of synthesized ZnO nanorods from the individual crystalline nucleus was confirmed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy.The length of the nanorod was estimated to be around 21 nm in diameter and 50 nm in length.Our toxicology studies showed that synthesized ZnO nanorods exposure on hela cells has no significant induction of oxidative stress or cell death even in higher concentration(10μg/ml).The results suggest that ZnO nanorods might be a safer nanomaterial for biological applications.

Effect of rubrene:P3HT bilayer on photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells with electrodeposited ZnO nanorods

Improved photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells is demonstrated through the synergistic effect of electrodeposited ZnO nanorods and rubrene：P3HT bilayer as electron and hole-transporting layers,respectively. Highly crystalline ZnO nanorods were obtained by electrochemical deposition in a chloride medium. Additionally, rubrene interlayer was able to passivate or cover the grain boundaries of perovskite film effectively that led to reduced leakage current. A perovskite solar cell optimized with ZnO nanorods and rubrene：P3HT bilayer achieved a maximum efficiency of 4.9% showing reduced hysteresis behavior compared with the device having P3HT as the only hole-transporting layer. The application of longer nanorods led to better perovskite infiltration and shorter charge carrier path length. These results highlight the potential of electrodeposited ZnO nanorods and rubrene：P3HT bilayer as charge selective layers for efficient perovskite solar cells.

Effect of calcination temperatures on photocatalytic H_(2)O_(2)-production activity of ZnO nanorods

Photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))production from O_(2) and H2O is an ideal process for solar‐to‐chemical energy conversion.Herein,ZnO nanorods are prepared via a simple hydrothermal method for photocatalytic H_(2)O_(2) production.The ZnO nanorods exhibit varied performance with different calcination temperatures.Benefiting from calcination,the separation efficiency of photo‐induced carriers is significantly improved,leading to the superior photocatalytic activity for H_(2)O_(2) production.The H_(2)O_(2) produced by ZnO calcined at 300℃ is 285μmol L^(−1),which is over 5 times larger than that produced by untreated ZnO.This work provides an insight into photocatalytic H2O2 production mechanism by ZnO nanorods,and presents a promising strategy to H2O2 production.

Fabrication of highly oriented ZnO nanorod arrays by galvanostatic deposition

Highly oriented ZnO nanorod arrays were successfully prepared on the indium tin oxide （ITO） substrate using a galvanostatic electrodeposition method. The ITO substrate was pretreated with ZnO nanoparticles via simple low-temperature solution route. The crystallinity, microstructure of surface, and optical properties of the obtained ZnO were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and transmittance spectrum. The results indicate that the average diameter of ZnO nanorod arrays is about 30 nm, and the narrow size distribution ranges from 20 to 50 nm. The nanorod arrays are growing along wavelength of incident is over 380 nm, the ZnO nanorod arrays growth mechanism of the nanorod arrays was discussed. [001] direction with an orientation perpendicular to the substrate. When the show a high optical transmission of above 95%. Furthermore, the possible

ZnO压敏电阻微观结构参数与宏观电气性能的关联机制

ZnO压敏电阻是金属氧化物避雷器的核心部件,在抑制电力系统过电压方面发挥了重要的作用。随着特高压输电技术的发展,对ZnO压敏电阻的残压、通流容量等电气特性提出了更高的要求。该文从材料计算的角度出发,以基于Voronoi模型的ZnO压敏电阻优化计算模型为基础,计算研究了晶粒尺寸、尺寸不均匀度、晶粒电阻率等微观结构参数与多种宏观电气性能之间的关联机制,将多变量、多目标的最优化问题,极大地简化为仅包含三类优化变量、两类优化目标的最优化问题,并制定出具有针对性的优化策略和步骤,为ZnO压敏电阻性能的改进提供了重要理论依据,对高性能避雷器的设计制造具有重要意义。

Synthesis of high-TC ferromagnetic Mn-doped ZnO nanorods by thermal evaporation

This paper reports that a large amount of Mn-doped ZnO nanorods have been synthesized through thermal evaporation. The morphologies and properties are studied with x-ray diffraction, a scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and Raman spectroscope. The results indicate that the manganese atoms occupy the zinc vacancies in the wurtzite lattice of ZnO without forming secondary phases. The exact manganese content has been studied by the x-ray fluorescence spectrum. Meanwhile, the magnetic moment versus temperature result proves that the as-prepared Mn-doped ZnO nanorods show ferromagnetic properties at temperatures as high as 400~K. These studies provide a good understanding of the origin of magnetic properties in diluted magnetic semiconductors.

ZnO nanorod arrays with tunable size and field emission properties on an ITO substrate achieved by an electrodeposition method

In the present work, vertically aligned ZnO nanorod arrays with tunable size are successfully synthesized on nonseeded ITO glass substrates by a simple electrodeposition method. The effect of growth conditions on the phase, morphology, and orientation of the products are studied in detail by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron mi-croscopy （SEM）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. It is observed that the as-prepared nanostructures exhibit a preferred orientation along c axis, and the size and density of the ZnO nanorod can be controlled by changing the concentration of ZnC12. Field emission properties of the as-synthesized samples with different diameters are also studied, and the results show that the nanorod arrays with a smaller diameter and appropriate rod density exhibit better emission properties. The ZnO nanorod arrays show a potential application in field emitters.

Quantitative modeling, optimization, and verification of ^(63)Nipowered betavoltaic cells based on three-dimensional ZnO nanorod arrays

Betavoltaic cells(BCs)are promising self-generating power cells with long life and high power density.However,the low energy conversion efficiency(ECE)has limitations in practical engineering applications.Widebandgap semiconductors(WBGSs)with three-dimensional(3-D)nanostructures are ideal candidates for increasing the ECE of BCs.This paper proposes hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorod arrays(ZNRAs)for ^(63)Ni-powered BCs.A quantitative model was established for simulation using the parameter values of the dark characteristics,which were obtained from the experimental measurements for a simulated BC based on a Ni-incorporated ZNRAs structure.Monte Carlo(MC)modeling and simulation were conducted to obtain the values of the β energy deposited in ZNRAs with different nanorod spacings and heights.Through the simulation and optimization of the 3-D ZNRAs and 2-D ZnO bulk structures,the performance of the ^(63)Ni-powered BCs based on both structures was evaluated using a quantitative model.The BCs based on the 3-D ZNRAs structure and 2-D ZnO bulk structure achieved a maximum ECE of 10.1%and 4.69%,respectively,which indicates the significant superiority of 3-D nanostructured WBGSs in increasing the ECE of BCs.

Optoelectronic characterisation of an individual ZnO nanowire in contact with a micro-grid template

Optoelectronic characterisation of an individual ZnO nanowire in contact with a micro-grid template has been studied. The low-cost micro-grid template made by photolithography is used to fabricate the ohmic contact metal electrodes. The current increases linearly with the bias, indicating good ohmic contacts between the nanowire and the electrodes. The resistivity of the ZnO nanowire is calculated to be 3.8 Ω·cm. We investigate the photoresponses of an individual ZnO nanowire under different light illumination using light emitting diodes （λ= 505 nm, 460 nm, 375 nm） as excitation sources in atmosphere. When individual ZnO nanowire is exposured to different light irradiation, we find that it is extremely sensitive to UV illumination; the conductance is much larger upon UV illumination than that in the dark at room temperature. This phenomenon may be related to the surface oxygen molecule adsorbtion, which indicates their potential application to the optoelectronic switching device.

Improved efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells with molecular ameliorating of ZnO nanorod/perovskite interface and Mg-doping ZnO

Despite the advanced efficiency of perovskite solar cells(PSCs),electron transportation is still a pending issue.Here the polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)is used to enhance the electron injection,which is thanks to the passivation of the defects at the interface between the ZnO electron transporting layer(ETL)and the perovskite.The application of the PVP layer inhibits the device degradation,and 80%of the primary efficiency is kept after 30 d storage in air condition.Additionally,the efficiency of the device is further enhanced by improving the conductivity and crystallinity of the ZnO ETL via Magnesium(Mg)doping in the ZnO nanorods(ZnO NRs).Moreover,the preparation parameters of the ZnO NRs are optimized.By employing the high-crystallinity ZnO ETL and the PVP layer,the power conversion efficiency(PCE)of the champion device is increased from 16.29%to 19.63%.These results demonstrate the advantages of combining mesoscale manipulation with interface modification and doping together.