Vertical Growth of ZnO Nanorods Prepared on an ITO-Coated Glass Substrate by Hydrothermal-Electrochemical Deposition

Abstract

In this study, ZnO nanorods were grown on indium-tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate using a hydrothermal-electrochemical method in a Zn(NO3)2 aqueous solution. To optimize the properties of ZnO nanorods grown on the ITO-coated glass substrate, the effects of growth parameters, such as the thickness of ZnO seed layer (0–70 nm), the addition of NaOH additive, the applied potential (−0.6–−1.2 V), and the growth temperature (120–180°C) were examined with respect to the morphological, structural, photoluminescence, and transmittance properties of the nanorods. An improvement in the UV–visible ratio of the ZnO nanorods was obtained by increasing the thickness of the seed layer and by increasing the applied potential and the growth temperature with the addition of a NaOH solution. Based on the combined results of this study, the vertical ZnO nanorods produced on the ITO-coated glass substrate hold great promise for use in the development of high-performance optoelectronic devices and other applications.