Optical, electronic, and structural properties of different nanostructured ZnO morphologies

• Published in: European physical journal plus Vol. 137; no. 6; p. 752
• Main Authors: Ahmad, Ahmad A., Alsaad, Ahmad M., Aljarrah, Ihsan A., Al-Bataineh, Qais M., Telfah, Ahmad D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 30.06.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Applied and Technical Physics; Atomic; Boundaries; Chemical composition; Complex Systems; Condensed Matter Physics; Contact angle; Crystallites; Diffraction patterns; Electrical properties; Electrical resistivity; Energy gap; Energy value; Ethanol; Grain boundaries; Lattice parameters; Mathematical and Computational Physics; Microstrain; Molecular; Molecular weight; Morphology; Nanoparticles; Nanoribbons; Nanorods; Nanostructure; Nanowires; Nitrates; Optical and Plasma Physics; Optical properties; Particle size; Phase transitions; Photovoltaic cells; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Potential barriers; Regular Article; Scanning electron microscopy; Sensors; Temperature; Theoretical; Thin films; Wettability; X-ray diffraction; Zinc oxide; Zinc oxides
• DOI: 10.1140/epjp/s13360-022-02967-2
• ISSN: 2190-5444

Four different ZnO nanostructures, namely nanoparticles, nanorods, nanoribbons, and nanoshuttles, were synthesized by controlling the pH levels, the chemical compositions, and the conditions of the process. Different ZnO nanostructures' structural, wettability, optical, and electrical properties depend on the morphology and particle size. In particular, X-ray diffraction patterns verify that lattice constants, crystallite size, microstrain, and other related structural parameters are affected by the surface morphology and the particle size. In addition, ZnO nanoparticles have hydrophilic nature, while the other nanostructures have hydrophobic nature. For example, the value of the optical bandgap energy for ZnO nanoparticles, ZnO nanorods, ZnO nanoribbons, and ZnO nanoshuttles is 3.30, 3.33, 3.39, and 3.36 eV, respectively, which is in excellent agreement with standard ZnO thin films bandgap energy values. Furthermore, ZnO nanorods have higher electrical conductivity than other nanostructures, while ZnO nanoshuttles have the lowest electrical conductivity. The grain boundaries and the semiconducting nature influence the electrical conductivity of ZnO nanostructures. Finally, the boundaries create various potential barriers to the transportation of electrons in the medium. Graphical abstract