Abstract
Thin films of nanocomposite of zinc oxide–reduced graphene oxide (ZnO-rGO) deposited on soda-lime glass substrates were prepared using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) at 460 °C. The preparation process does not use harsh acids and is environmentally friendly. The deposition period of 2, 3.5 and 5 min resulted in compact, uniform samples with thicknesses of 148, 250 and 365 nm, respectively. After performing structural, morphological, optical and electrical characterization of the prepared nanocomposite, an influence of the deposition time on the physical properties of the obtained films was determined. TEM analyses indicate that the ZnO-rGO nanocomposite presents ZnO nanoparticles anchored on graphene sheets, while XRD, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman results show the presence of a ZnO phase in the ZnO-rGO films. HR-SEM studies showed changes of the ZnO-rGO thin films morphology due to the incorporation of graphene into the ZnO films. Here, the particles of ZnO are similar to small grains of rice and graphene films have the appearance of a little “rose”. As the thickness of the film increases with deposition time, it reduces the structure of resistance of the nanocomposite thin films to 135 Ω. In addition, the optical transmission of the thin films in the visible region resulted affected. Here, we report a simple methodology for the preparation of ZnO-rGO nanocomposite thin films.
Highlights
Graphene (G), a material with a unique structure formed by a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice, is fascinating due to its unique mechanical, thermal, optical and electrical properties [1,2]
We present a simple method for the preparation of thin films of zinc oxide-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP), with no requirement of chemically oxidize graphene or the use of sodium hydroxide to attach the ZnO nanoparticles to the sheets of graphene
From the XRD pattern of the zinc oxide–reduced graphene oxide (ZnO-reduced graphene oxide (rGO)) nanocomposite thin films (Figure 1b), it was expected to observe theand peak corresponding to the typical GO (001) plane around 2θ = 12.2°
Summary
Graphene (G), a material with a unique structure formed by a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice, is fascinating due to its unique mechanical, thermal, optical and electrical properties [1,2]. ZnO has a wide bandgap energy (3.37 eV), large exciton binding energy (60 meV), and it can be synthesized in various morphologies, among others interesting physical and chemical characteristics [4,5] This type of hybrid nanocomposite has attracted much interest mainly due to its highly active surfaces, excellent carrier mobilities and its effective charge-transfer process [6]. The chemical reduction of exfoliated graphene oxide has been shown to be an effective and reliable, low cost and scalable method to produce graphene sheets The use of this process for the preparation of hybrid nanocomposites, through the incorporation of various types of functional materials has been reported [16,17]. ZnO-rGO thin films increases, a modification in their structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties occurs, offering a potential use for different practical applications
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