Enhanced structural and morphological properties of ZnO nanorods using plant extract-assisted solution immersion method

Abstract

Zinc oxide nanorods were successfully synthesized via a modified biosynthesis approach using plant extract. It consisted of two sections: first, the deposition of biosynthesized zinc oxide seed layer’s solution on a glass substrate using the spin-coat method. (using zinc nitrate hexahydrate and Pandanus amaryllifolius as a precursor and stabilizer). Second, the growth of zinc oxide nanorods on deposited biosynthesized zinc oxide seed layer using the solution immersion method. All samples were annealed at a temperature of 100 °C, 200 °C, 300 °C, 400 °C and 500 °C to observe the effect of annealing temperature on structural and morphological properties of the samples. The hexagonal wurtzite structure of zinc oxide was evident. A primary three peaks occur at 2θ = 31.78, 34.47, and 36.26, which resemble the (100), (002), and (101) zinc oxide crystallographic planes, respectively using X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization. By using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), the smallest diameter (290 nm) of zinc oxide nanorods were demonstrated when annealed at 400 °C compared to other annealing temperatures. In addition, uniform dense rods structures were developed as annealing temperatures were increased. This study is the first to report on the ability of Pandanus amaryllifolius as an alternative stabilizer to investigate thedevelopment ofa highly crystalline and dense zinc oxide nanorods structure. It reveals that zinc oxide nanorods successfully synthesized on the biosynthesized zinc oxide seed layer. An elevated annealing temperature have demonstrated the enhancement of the structural and morphological properties of the samples. The advantages from the findings would be towards the optoelectronic applications such as ultra-violet sensors.