Understanding the factors that govern the deposition and morphology of thin films of ZnO from aqueous solution

The influence of the choice of complexing ligand, zinc counter-ion, pH, ionic strength, supersaturation, deposition time and substrate on the nature of ZnO films grown from chemical baths (CBD) are discussed. There are significant differences between CBD and similar routes such as hydrothermal methods for ZnO films. Modelling of speciation and experimental results suggest that acicular ZnO morphologies are best obtained by limiting the concentration of one of either Zn2+ or OH- in the presence of a large excess of the other. The presence of a prior ZnO layer can facilitate nucleation at lower levels of supersaturation and enable size tailoring of ZnO columns. The point at which the substrate is introduced into the bath is crucial and can lead to a significant difference in both the width of the rods and optical transparency of the films. HR-TEM has yielded important structural information and a growth mechanism for single crystalline ZnO rods by CBD is described for the first time.