ZnO nanorods on plastic substrate from zinc nitrate hexahydrate and hexamethylenetetramine solution

The control dimension and morphology in zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods are critical issues in the fabrication of electronic and optical nanodevices. This study discusses ZnO nanorods on an ITO-laminated plastic substrate of polyethylene terephthalate. The substrate was immersed in a zinc nitrate hexahydrate Zn(NO
₃
)
₂
·6H
₂
O and hexamethylenetetramine C
₁₂
H
₆
N
₄
. solution under various deposition conditions. The X-ray diffraction pattern showed that the films were composed of ZnO and Zn(OH)
₂
, and that the ZnO crystal had strong x-ray reflection peaks (100 and 101), in which the c-axis was parallel to the substrate. To measure the elemental composition, the empirical formula, and the chemical state, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to examine the ZnO surface; peaks belonging to Zn and O were clearly detected. A larger surface roughness was achieved after adding a 0.20 M concentration of hexamethylenetetramine. The ZnO nanorods’ microphotograph was found at a deposition temperature of 95° C and a 2 ml volume of 0.1 M NaOH. It was also found that the crystal shows a tip-nanorod morphology with a typical diameter of 0.3 μm and a 3.0 μm rod length.