Abstract
This study demonstrates the preparation of heterogeneous ZnO: Co nanostructures via hydrothermal–electrochemical deposition at 130 °C and −1.1 V (vs Ag/AgCl (satd)) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)–H2O mixture. Under the stated conditions, ZnO: Co nanostructures grow preferentially along (002) direction. Strength of directional growth progressively increases with the increasing concentration of Co(II) in the deposition bath. Films are composed of hexagonal Wurtzite ZnO, metallic cobalt, and mixed cobalt oxide on the surface and cobalt(II) oxide in deeper levels. Increasing the Co(II) concentration in the deposition bath results in different morphological features as well as phase separation. Platelets, sponge-like structures, cobalt-rich spheres, microislands of cobalt-rich spheres which are interconnected by ZnO network can be synthesized by adjusting [Co(II)]: [Zn(II)] ratio. Growth mechanisms giving rise to these particular structures, surface morphology, crystal structure, phase purity, chemical binding characteristics, and optical properties of the deposits are discussed in detail.
Highlights
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is one of the most promising materials in the materials research and device fabrication technologies, with a wide range of potential applications from sensors to optoelectronic devices such as lasers, light emitting diodes, cantilevers, and solar cells (Schmidt-Mende and Macmanus-Driscoll 2007)
This study demonstrates the preparation of heterogeneous ZnO: Co nanostructures via hydrothermal– electrochemical deposition at 130 °C and -1.1 V (vs Ag/ AgCl) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)–H2O mixture
We report the growth of heterogeneous ZnO: Co nanostructures by seedless hydrothermal–electrochemical deposition at 130 °C from dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)–water mixture, for the first time
Summary
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is one of the most promising materials in the materials research and device fabrication technologies, with a wide range of potential applications from sensors to optoelectronic devices such as lasers, light emitting diodes, cantilevers, and solar cells (Schmidt-Mende and Macmanus-Driscoll 2007) This attraction stems from its wide bandgap (3.37 eV), large exciton binding energy (60 meV), optical transparency, thermal and chemical stability, and fast electron transfer kinetics (Look 2001). We have extended the studies on the effects of hydrothermal–electrochemical deposition (HED) at higher temperatures (130 °C) on physical and chemical properties of metal oxide particles. We have shown that besides precursor concentration, identities of the additive metal cation and counter ion in the deposition solution are important to produce ZnO particles with various morphologies. The effect of cobalt ion amount on the morphology and physical properties of the resulting films is discussed in detail
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