Self-assembled monolayer assisted fabrication of zinc oxide nanorods

Abstract

In this study, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with different tail groups were employed to control the surface property of zinc oxide (ZnO) coated indium tin oxide substrates for the fabrication of ZnO nanorods. By modulating the tail group of the SAM molecule and the growth time of SAM, the thickness, diameter, morphology, and optical properties of ZnO nanorods can be controlled effectively. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed that high quality crystals with preferential orientation along the (002) plane of the ZnO nanorods can be fabricated by utilizing proper SAM with the growth temperature of 60 °C and the growth time of 7 h. Such ZnO nanorods were reported as potential candidates for hybrid polymer solar cells.