Synthesis and property investigation of zinc oxide nanowires

• Main Author: Sun, Ye
• Other Authors: Zhang Hua
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/55809
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Nanotechnology has attracted huge interest in many fields such as optics, electronics, as well as bio-medical. Since material exhibits different properties in nanoscale, many materials are used as nanomaterials due to some specific properties. Zinc Oxide (ZnO) one-dimensional nanowires are one of the most important nanomaterials; piezoelectric property makes ZnO nanowire have great potential for many applications such as sensor, transducer. Idea of nanogenerator was firstly brought out in early 2000. ZnO nanowire was used in nanogenerator, which is bent by AFM tips or zigzag electrode. When arc surface under compression force excited by an ultrasonic wave, Schottky contact will direct the current flow. Project aims to synthesize vertically aligned ZnO nanowire array on quartz substrate with desired size and length. Solution phase synthesis method was used in this project to produce ZnO nanowire array. Wires have been successfully grown on substrate. Then experiments were conducted based on optimizing experimental parameters in order to achieve desired wire size and length with the help of characterization equipment such as Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Two important parameters were selected to be changed: thickness of the seed layer and growth time. Relationship between wire size or length and those two parameters was found out. Therefore, eventually optimal parameters were used to produce ZnO wire arrays with desired size and length.