A novel regrowth method to simply prepare Li-doped ZnO nanorods and improve their photoluminescence properties

Abstract

In this study, we report the fabrication of sol–gel prepared ZnO nanorods through the use of vapor-confined face-to-face annealing (VC-FTFA) in which mica was inserted between two films, followed by annealing using the FTFA method. LZO nanorods are regrown when lithium chloride is used as the solvent because ZnCl₂ and LiCl vapors are generated. The near-band-edge emission intensity of the LZO nanorods is enhanced through annealing using the VC-FTFA method and is increased by a factor of 6 compared to that of LZO thin films annealed in open air at 600 °C. Our method may provide a route toward the facile fabrication of ZnO nanorods.