Dense arrays of zinc oxide nanorods with high specific
surface
areas were grown by hydrothermal method and functionalized by self-assembled
monolayer (SAM) of porphyrins. The growth process was optimized to
obtain dense arrays of nanorods with diameter of 60–80 nm and
length up to 1.5 μm. The increase in the effective surface area
was monitored by comparing the absorbances of SAM deposited both on
the flat and nanorod surfaces of ZnO. To alter further semiconductor-organic
SAM interactions, a 2 or 5 nm thick layer of either Al2O3 or TiO2 was deposited on the ZnO nanorods.
The present results show that both carboxylic acid and triethoxysilane
anchors can be used to form porphyrin SAMs on the studied metal oxide
substrates, and the electronic interactions between the metal oxide
and porphyrin SAM are strongly modified by a thin layer of Al2O3 or TiO2. These hybrid semiconductor-organic
SAM constructions present promising model systems for advanced spectroscopy
studies of semiconductor-organic interfaces with high degree of control
over electronic interactions and system morphology.