A study on electrodeposited zinc oxide nanostructures

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures prepared by electrochemical deposition method from aqueous zinc nitrate solution at 65 °C onto fluorine doped tin oxide coated glass substrates were investigated. Characterization of ZnO nanostructures was realized using conventional electrochemical techniques, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Cyclic voltammetry experiments were performed to elucidate the electrodic processes that occurred when potentials were applied and the optimum potential for electrodeposition were determined. From the Mott-Schottky measurements, the flat-band potential and the donor density for the ZnO nanostructure are determined. From single-step potential experiment in the potential ranges from −1.1 to −1.4 V, the formation of ZnO nuclei in the early deposition stages was proceeded according to the three dimensional (3D) instantaneous nucleation followed by diffusion-limited growth rather than a progressive one. SEM images demonstrated that the morphology of ZnO nanostructures depend greatly on the potential depositions. XRD studies revealed that the deposited films were polycrystalline in nature with wurtzite phase.