Growth of Low-dimensional ZnO Materials on Graphite Substrate

Low-dimensional ZnO materials, (1-dimensional ZnO nanorods (NRs) and 2-dimensional ZnO films) were grown perpendicularly on graphite substrates. The crystalline structure, morphology, and optical properties of the as-grown low-dimensional ZnO materials were investigated with X-ray diffraction (XRD), field effect scanning electron microscope (FESEM), photoluminescence (PL), and the relative reflection spectra measurements. The high optical qualities of borth ZnO NRs and ZnO films on graphite substrates were demonstrated by the dominant near-band edge emission and nearly undetectable deep level emissions of photoluminescence spectra under room temperature. The extremely low average reflectance was obtained from the low-dimensional ZnO materials/graphite structures in the spectra range from 300 nm to 800 nm, indicating that the obtained low-dimensional ZnO materials/graphite structures have significant opportunity for potential application in high-performance photovoltaic devices.