Controlling the properties of electrodeposited ZnO nanowire arrays for light emitting diode, photodetector and gas sensor applications

Electrochemical deposition (ECD) is a versatile technique for the preparation of ZnO nanowires (NWs) and nanorods (NRs) with high structural and optical quality. The bandgap of the ZnO NWs can be engineered by doping. Depending on the doping cation and concentration, the bandgap is increased or decreased in a controlled manner. The NW arrays have been grown on various substrates. The epitaxial growth on single-crystal conducting substrates has been demonstrated. By using p-type GaN layers, heterostructures have been fabricated with a high rectifying electrical behavior. They have been integrated in low-voltage LEDs emitting in the UV or in the visible region depending on the NW composition. For visible-blind UV-photodetector application, ZnO NW ensembles, electrochemically grown on F:SnO2, have been contacted on their top with a transparent graphene sheet. The photodetector had a responsivity larger than 10 A/W at 1V in the near-UV range. ECD ZnO NWs have also been isolated and electrically connected on their both ends by Al contacts. The obtained nanodevice, made of an individual NW, was shown to be a H2 gas sensor with a high selectivity and sensitivity. Moreover, it was shown that Cd-doping of ZnO NWs significantly improved the performance of the sensor.