Zinc oxide microrods prepared by sol-gel immerse technique

Purpose - Zinc oxide (ZnO) is an emerging optoelectronic material due to its various functional behaviors. The purpose of this paper is to report on the fabrication and characterizations of ZnO microrods. Design/methodology/approach - ZnO microrods were synthesized using sol-gel immerse technique on oxidized silicon (Si) substrates. The oxidized Si substrates were immersed in ZnO aqueous solution for different times ranging from three to five hours. The surface morphologies of the ZnO microrods were examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM). In order to investigate the structural properties, the ZnO microrods were measured using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The optical properties were measured using a photoluminescence (PL) spectrophotometer. Findings - Characterization from SEM shows an enhanced growth of the ZnO rods with increasing immerse time. XRD characterizations demonstrate sharp and narrow diffraction peaks peculiar to ZnO, which implies that the rod is of high crystallinity. Based on the PL spectra, long immerse time results in the high peak in the UV region. Originality/value - This paper concludes that the immerse time exerts an influence on the ZnO microrods. A longer immerse duration is preferred in the fabrication of the ZnO microrod, which is considered an emerging material for many advanced electronic and optoelectronic applications.