Electrochemical Deposition and Characterization of ZnO Nanowire Arrays with Tailored Dimensions

A systematic study of the deposition of single crystal ZnO nanowire arrays from the oxygen electroreduction was performed. The influence of deposition parameters such as the concentrations of zinc precursor (ZnCl2) and supporting electrolyte (KCl) on the formation of ZnO nanowire arrays, as well as on the dimensions of the nanowires was analyzed. Mean nanowire diameters from 25 to 80 nm were obtained by only modifying the [ZnCl2] in solution, while high [KCl] allowed to reach diameters as high as 300 nm. The influence of [KCl] on the donor density determined from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of ZnO nanowires was also shown. Carrier densities from 1017 to 1020 cm-3 were obtained depending on the deposition and annealing conditions. The results show that electrodeposition is a cost-effective technique which allows not only to grow ZnO single crystal nanowire arrays with tailored dimensions, but also to act on their electrical properties in a controlled way