Rectification Behavior of PATP Self-Assembled on ZnO Microrod Arrays

A rectifying hybrid junction was fabricated by the self-assembly of 4-aminothiophenol (PATP) on well-aligned ZnO microrod arrays. Good rectification behavior was obtained from the device of Al/ZnO/PATP/Al. The electron transport at the ZnO/PATP interface was investigated systematically by experimental observation and theoretical simulation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the strong binding between PATP and ZnO via S-Zn bonds. The effective energy barrier and ideality factor of the rectifying diode were estimated by the current-voltage (I-V) measurement and thermionic emission theory. The molecule dipole effect on work function was studied through energy band theory. Theoretical calculation results based on density functional theory (DFT) also indicated a significant dipole, caused by the anchoring effect of PATP, resulting in the changes of surface electronic characteristics of ZnO.