Synthesis of ZnO nanorods on porous silicon substrate using sol–gel method

Abstract

In this study, the authors have synthesised ZnO nanorods on porous silicon (PSi) substrate using sol–gel method. A simple method to synthesise the ZnO nanorods from aqueous solution that contains zinc nitrate hexahydrate [Zn(NO3)2.6H2O] and hexamethylenetetramine (C6H12N4) is presented. The surface morphology and photoluminescence properties of the samples were characterised using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and photoluminescence spectroscope (PL). The SEM images showed that the size of ZnO nanorods increased with the molar ratio of precursor. Photoluminescence measurements showed that ZnO nanorods exhibit a strong ultraviolet (UV) emission of 397 nm and several weak emissions in the blue and green bands.