Influence of Deposition Time on Zno-based Nanostructures by Microwave-assisted Sonochemical Technique

Abstract

This paper presents an investigation on the influence of deposition time on ZnO-based nanostructures by using microwave-assisted sonochemical technique. Zinc oxide nanostructures (ZnO Ns) were synthesised by preparing the seed layer using ultrasonic-assisted dip-coating technique on both sides of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as substrate. The ZnO Ns growth was precisely controlled by adjusting the deposition times varying from 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 minutes. The structural, morphological and optical properties of each sample were characterized by using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) Spectroscopy. Results revealed that there is an additional peak on XRD analysis that is believed to be the (200) cubic phase ZnO and different structures were also observed for FESEM images as the deposition time varies. Meanwhile, the UV-Vis spectroscopy portrayed a decrease in trend when the deposition time increased from 30 minutes to 150 minutes due to the transmittance of thin films is decreased as film thickness increases. Thus, this work suggested a new approach on the synthesisation of ZnO Ns by using microwave-assisted sonochemical technique which resulted in many potentials for future applications such as nanogenerators, dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and sensors.