Characterization of Ga-doped ZnO Nanorods Synthesized via Microemulsion Method

Gallium-doped ZnO (GZO) nanorods were synthesized by microemulsion method with different types of surfactants. The phase and morphology of the above nanorods were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). SEM observations show that the ZnO nanorods have diameters around 70–200 nm and lengths up to several micrometers. The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of GZO nanorods exhibited a sharp and strong ultraviolet bandgap at 383 nm and a relatively weaker emission associated with the defect level. Resistivity of GZO nanorods synthesized with sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium benzene sulfonate (SBS) surfactants showed 2.84 Ω m and 14.2 Ω m, respectively.