Narrow Results

In present study ZnO nanorods were synthesized in an aqueous solution using a domestic microwave oven for irradiation. The nanorods have been grown on substrates immersed in an aqueous solution which contains zinc nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine as precursors. Eventually, effect of some parameters such as precursor's concentration and heating time on growth mechanism was characterized. The product phase was detected using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) exhibited the resultant structure is uniform and single crystalline. Finally Uv-Vis spectroscopy was used to measure the nanorod's band gap.

Nanostructured zinc oxide overlayered by nanoporous strontium titanate was synthesized using sol-gel method and tested in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell for splitting of water. It was found that compared to the pristine ZnO and SrTiO₃, the resistivity of bilayered thin film was reduced and a negative shift in open circuit potential and flatband potential of bilayered ZnO/SrTiO₃ was observed, thus improving the photocurrent density and photoconversion efficiency. Significantly, bilayered ZnO/SrTiO₃ thin film offered the best photocurrent density i.e. 0.46 mA/cm² at 0 V/SCE. XRD, SEM and UV-Vis spectroscopic studies were carried out to explore the structural, surface morphological and optical properties of various thin films.