Preparation of zinc oxide coatings by using newly designed metal–organic complexes of Zn: Effect of molecular structure of the precursor and surfactant over the crystallization, growth and luminescence

Abstract

Abstract We report large scale deposition of tapered zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods on Si(1 0 0) substrate by using newly designed metal–organic complex of zinc (Zn) as the precursor, and microwave irradiation assisted chemical synthesis as a process. The coatings are uniform and high density ZnO nanorods (∼1.5 μm length) grow over the entire area (625 mm2) of the substrate within 1–5 min of microwave irradiation. ZnO coatings obtained by solution phase deposition yield strong UV emission. Variation of the molecular structure/molecular weight of the precursors and surfactants influence the crystallinity, morphology, and optical properties of ZnO coatings. The precursors in addition with the surfactant and the solvent are widely used to obtain desired coating on any substrate. The growth mechanism and the schematics of the growth process of ZnO coatings on Si(1 0 0) are discussed.