Optimization of a Hydrothermal Growth Process for Low Resistance 1D Fluorine-Doped Zinc Oxide Nanostructures

Muhammad L M Napi,G M T Chai,S M Sultan,Razali Ismail,Mohd K Ahmad

doi:10.1155/2019/4574507

Abstract

Design of Experiment (DOE) has been used for the optimization of a hydrothermal growth process of one-dimensional fluorine-doped zinc oxide (1D-FZO). Box-Behnken design was used in the DOE which includes three design points on each of the synthesis condition parameters. The condition parameters were the gold sputtering time (10 s, 15 s, and 20 s), hydrothermal reaction time (3 hours, 6.5 hours, and 10 hours), and hydrothermal temperature (50°C, 75°C, and 100°C). This statistical method of DOE was used to study the effects of these hydrothermal conditions on the quality of 1D-FZO produced. Au nanoparticles were used as the catalyst to enable the growth of the 1D-FZO. The XRD and EDX analysis confirmed the formation of polycrystalline FZO with the presence of fluorine, zinc, and oxygen elements. SEM observations indicated that the sputtering time of the Au nanoparticles has significant effect on the morphology and growth process of 1D-FZO. The lowest resistance value of 22.57 Ω was achieved for 1D-FZO grown with the longest Au sputtering time at growth temperature below 100°C.

Highlights

Nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO) has been attracting a lot of attention due to its capability of working in a variety of applications such as dye-sensitised solar cells [1], biosensors [2], gas sensors [3], and organic light-emitting diodes [4]
From the Design of Experiment analysis, the Au sputtering time showed a significant effect on the resistance of 1DFZO nanostructures compared to the other two parameters which are hydrothermal reaction time and temperatures
From the main effect plots and the contour plots, the optimized grow low resistance 1D-FZO are with sputtering time of 15~20 s, hydrothermal reaction time of 3 hours, and at temperature range of 75~100°C

Summary

Introduction

Nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO) has been attracting a lot of attention due to its capability of working in a variety of applications such as dye-sensitised solar cells [1], biosensors [2], gas sensors [3], and organic light-emitting diodes [4] This n-type semiconductor has demonstrated experimentally that it has fast electron transfer kinetic, high isoelectric point, and wide band gap of 3.37 eV at ambient condition [5, 6]. Since 1948, the demand of low-cost and environment-friendly fabrication processes for nanostructures leads to the development of a hydrothermal process [13] This method plays an important role in producing crystalline 1D-ZnO on various substrates including glass, silicon, and polymer [14, 15]. Wahid et al used gold nanoparticles (Au-np) as a nucleation site for the hydrothermal growth of 1DZnO and at the same time improved the adhesive surface

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Results

Conclusion