Substrate Effect on Growth Behaviour of Well-Aligned ZnO Nanorods Using an Aqueous Solution Method

The substrate effects on the morphology and photoluminescence (PL) properties of ZnO nanorods synthesized by a low temperature solution method has been investigated. ZnO seed layers on the substrates were prepared by radio-frequency sputtering. ZnO nanorods have been characterized by PL spectra and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). FESEM results showed that the nanorods grown on the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate had the most uniform size and the highest coverage density compared with the Si and glass substrates. PL measurements showed that the ZnO nanorods grown on the Si substrate had the best performance that may be attributed to higher crystallization and the low density of defects in the ZnO nanostructures. These findings have shown that the morphology and PL of ZnO nanorods strongly depend on the substrate.