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Hydrothermal Synthesis of Vertically Aligned Cesium-Doped ZnO Nanorods for Solar Cell Applications

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Abstract

Single crystalline cesium-doped ZnO nanorods with homogeneous size and shape were hydrothermally grown on Cs–ZnO nucleated glass substrate. The effect of hydrothermal growth duration on the characteristics of Cs-doped ZnO nanorods was examined. The samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and electrical conductivity, optical transmission and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. XRD analysis showed that Cs-doped ZnO nanorods are wurtzite single crystals and are grown preferentially along the c-axis. Elemental analysis confirmed the presence of 1 at.% of Cs, according to the composition of growth solution. Electrical conductivity of typical samples showed higher values for the 1 at.%-doped sample, which confirmed incorporation of the Cs dopant. The samples were optically transparent and showed two UV and visible PL peaks from which the former peak experienced a red shift and a pronounced increase in intensity with increasing growth time. The fabricated Cs-doped ZnO nanorods are suitable candidates for applications as excitonic solar cells due to their ease of fabrication, morphology control and optical properties.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Amirkabir University of Technology, 15875-4413, Tehran, Iran

    K. Mirabbaszadeh & S. Salari

  2. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Rafsanjan, Iran

    M. Ahmadi

  3. Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Sciences and Technologies, University of Isfahan, 81746-7344, Isfahan, Iran

    M. Khosravi

  4. Department of Chemistry, Isfahan University, 81746-73441, Isfahan, Iran

    R. Mokhtari

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  1. K. Mirabbaszadeh
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Correspondence to K. Mirabbaszadeh.

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Mirabbaszadeh, K., Ahmadi, M., Khosravi, M. et al. Hydrothermal Synthesis of Vertically Aligned Cesium-Doped ZnO Nanorods for Solar Cell Applications. J Inorg Organomet Polym 23, 1219–1225 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10904-013-9903-0

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