Mingxiang Zhou, Shakespear Takudzwa Samu, Min Deng, Bo Wei, Yunqing Lu, Jin Wang
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The UV polymerization method is an efficient method to fabricate zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films. So far, this method is mainly based on the self-polymerization of zinc-based monomers, followed by annealing. However, the self-polymerization usually leads to long polymerization times, irregular morphologies of the product, and reaction wastes. To address these issues, the novel fabrication process and recipe to form ZnO films are proposed. This proposal uses zinc-based monomers and their solvent (acrylic acid) collectively as reactants in the polymerization process. The cross-linking between them significantly reduces the polymerization time to a few seconds without the reaction waste, and leads to a well-defined surface morphology of the zinc-based precursor film. The structures, morphologies and optoelectric properties of the ZnO films annealed at different temperatures are characterized. The results show that the ZnO nanocrystals exhibit a hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. The ZnO films exhibit an average transmittance as high as 98% in the visible spectrum, and the optical bandgaps of 3.24–3.29 eV. The electrical performance of the film is strongly correlated with the oxygen vacancies content, leading to the highest carrier concentration and the lowest electrical resistivity of 4.09 × 10−1 Ωcm at the annealing temperature of 450 °C.
期刊介绍:
The primary objective of the Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology (JSST), the official journal of the International Sol-Gel Society, is to provide an international forum for the dissemination of scientific, technological, and general knowledge about materials processed by chemical nanotechnologies known as the "sol-gel" process. The materials of interest include gels, gel-derived glasses, ceramics in form of nano- and micro-powders, bulk, fibres, thin films and coatings as well as more recent materials such as hybrid organic-inorganic materials and composites. Such materials exhibit a wide range of optical, electronic, magnetic, chemical, environmental, and biomedical properties and functionalities. Methods for producing sol-gel-derived materials and the industrial uses of these materials are also of great interest.