Photodeposition synthesis of a ZnO nanoporous layer

• Published in: RSC advances Vol. 5; no. 65; pp. 52998 - 532
• Main Authors: Guan, Jia-Jian, Wang, Hao-Qi, Liang, Hong, Cheng, Nan-Pu, Lin, Hua, Li, Qing, Li, Yuan, Qin, Li-Zhao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2015
• ISSN: 2046-2069; 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/c5ra07556d

An original photodeposition methodology is investigated to synthesize novel ZnO nanoporous layers with high uniformity and pore density via TiO 2 nanotube substrates (annealed at 450 °C under 10 −2 Pa for 8 hours) immersed in Zn(NO 3 ) 2 aqueous solution (1 mol L −1 ) and irradiated by ultraviolet (UV) light at room temperature for 12 hours. Characterization of the material highlights that the nanoporous layer is assembled by the dominant (101&cmb.macr;1) crystal plane of hexagonal wurtzite ZnO with a vertical sheet thickness of about 20 nm and an aperture diameter of around 100 nm. Vacuum annealing of the TiO 2 substrate ultimately impacts the uniformity of the ZnO nanoporous layer, which can be essentially attributed to the density of the substrate oxygen vacancies. However, the concentration of the Zn(NO 3 ) 2 aqueous solution significantly influences the morphology and pore density of the porous layer. Furthermore, the ZnO nanoporous layer enhances the photoelectric properties of pure TiO 2 nanotubes, which may provide general application prospects in photocatalysis and photoelectric devices. A photodeposition methodology is investigated to synthesize novel ZnO nanoporous layer with high yield and uniformity on TiO 2 nanotubes.