Hopping conduction in single ZnO nanowires

Abstract

ZnO nanowires were synthesized by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The dc electricalconductivity of a single ZnO nanowire was investigated over a wide temperature range from300 to 6 K. It is found that the temperature dependence of conductivity follows the relation. The conductivity data suggest that the dominant conduction mechanismis Efros–Shklovskii variable-range hopping conduction. The strongelectron–electron interaction in the nanowire is also proved by theI–V and d I/d V curves, on which there emerges a Coulomb gap-like structure at low temperatures.