Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a strong luminescent material, as are several polymers. These two materials have distinct drawbacks and advantages, and they can be combined to form nanostructures with many important applications, e.g., large-area white lighting. This paper discusses the origin of visible emission centers in ZnO nanorods grown with different approaches. White light emitting diodes (LEDs) were fabricated by combining n-ZnO nanorods and hollow nanotubes with different p-type materials to form heterojunctions. The p-type component of the hybrids includes p-SiC, p-GaN, and polymers. We conclude by analyzing the electroluminescence of the different light emitting diodes we fabricated. The observed optical, electrical, and electro-optical characteristics of these LEDs are discussed with an emphasis on the deep level centers that cause the emission.

We demonstrate white light luminescence from ZnO-organic hybrid light emitting diodes grown at 90°C on flexible plastic substrate by aqueous chemical growth. The configuration used for the ZnO-organic hybrid white light emitting diodes ͑WLEDs͒ consists of a layer of poly ͑9, 9-dioctylfluorene͒ ͑PFO͒ on poly ͑3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene͒ poly ͑styrenesulfonate͒ coated plastic with top ZnO nanorods. Structural, electrical, and optical properties of these WLEDs were measured and analyzed. Room temperature electroluminescence spectrum reveals a broad emission band covering the range from 420 to 750 nm. In order to distinguish the white light components and contribution of the PFO layer we used a Gaussian function to simulate the experimental data. Color coordinates measurement of the WLED reveals that the emitted light has a white impression. The color rendering index and correlated color temperature of the WLED were calculated to be 68 and 5800 K, respectively.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) with its deep level defect emission covering the whole visible spectrum holds promise for the development of intrinsic white lighting sources with no need of using phosphors for light conversion. ZnO nanorods grown on flexible plastic as substrate using a low temperature approach (down to 50 o C) were combined with different organic semiconductors to form hybrid junction. White electroluminescence (EL) was observed from these hybrid junctions. The configuration used for the hybrid white light emitting diodes (LEDs) consists of two-layers of polymers on the flexible plastic with ZnO nanorods (NRs) on the top. The inorganic/organic hybrid heterojunction has been fabricated by spin coating the p-type polymer Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) for hole injection with an ionization potential of 5.1 eV and Poly(9, 9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO) is used as blue emitting material with a bandgap of 3.3 eV. ZnO nanorods (NRs) are grown on top of the organic layers. Two other configurations were also fabricated; these are using a single MEH PPV (red emitting polymer) instead of the PFO and the third configuration was obtained from a blend of the PFO and the MEH PPV. The white LEDs were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), currentvoltage (I-V) characteristics, room temperature photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL). The EL spectrum reveals a broad emission band covering the range from 420 to 800 nm, and the emissions causing this white luminescence were identified.

Schottky diodes with Au/ZnO nanorod (NR)/n-SiC configurations have been fabricated and their interface traps and electrical properties have been investigated by current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V), capacitance-frequency (C-f), and conductance-frequency (G p /x-x) measurements. Detailed and systematic analysis of the frequency-dependent capacitance and conductance measurements was performed to extract the information about the interface trap states. The discrepancy between the high barrier height values obtained from the I-V and the C-V measurements was also analyzed. The higher capacitance at low frequencies was attributed to excess capacitance as a result of interface states in equilibrium in the ZnO that can follow the alternating current signal. The energy of the interface states (E ss ) with respect to the valence band at the ZnO NR surface was also calculated. The densities of interface states obtained from the conductance and capacitance methods agreed well with each other and this confirm that the observed capacitance and conductance are caused by the same physical processes, i.e., recombination-generation in the interface states. V C 2012 American Institute of Physics.

We measure the elastic modulus of a single horizontal ZnO nanorod [NR] grown by a low-temperature hydrothermal chemical process on silicon substrates by performing room-temperature, direct load-controlled nanoindentation measurements. The configuration of the experiment for the single ZnO NR was achieved using a focused ion beam/scanning electron microscope dual-beam instrument. The single ZnO NR was positioned horizontally over a hole on a silicon wafer using a nanomanipulator, and both ends were bonded with platinum, defining a three-point bending configuration. The elastic modulus of the ZnO NR, extracted from the unloading curve using the well-known Oliver-Pharr method, resulted in a value of approximately 800 GPa. Also, we discuss the NR creep mechanism observed under indentation. The mechanical behavior reported in this paper will be a useful reference for the design and applications of future nanodevices.

This paper presents in-depth analysis of I-V-T characteristics of Au/ZnO nanorods Schottky diodes. The temperature dependence I-V parameters such as the ideality factor and the barrier heights have been explained on the basis of inhomogeneity. Detailed and systematic analysis was performed to extract information about the interface trap states. The ideality factor decreases, while the barrier height increases with increase of temperature. These observations have been ascribed to barrier inhomogeneities at the Au/ZnO nanorods interface. The inhomogeneities can be described by the Gaussian distribution of barrier heights. The effect of tunneling, Fermi level pinning, and image force lowering has contribution in the barrier height lowering. The recombination-tunneling mechanism is used to explain the conduction process in Au/ZnO nanorods Schottky diodes. The ionization of interface states has been considered for explaining the inhomogeneities.

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In this study, we demonstrate piezoelectric power generation from zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires grown on paper substrate. Vertically aligned ZnO nanowires are deflected by an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip in contact mode which generates an output voltage of up to 7 mV. Furthermore, the effects of different parameters mainly influencing the magnitude of the output voltage are discussed. We expect that due to its simplicity, this approach represents an important step within the development of nanoscale power generators. It offers a promising alternative powering source for the next generation of nanodevices on disposable paper. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)