Photosensitivity and Photocatalytic Activity of ZnO Thin Films Annealed in Different Environmental Conditions

Abstract

The microwave-assisted successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (mSILAR) deposition method was employed for the synthesis of nano-polycrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film. In this study, annealing of the prepared ZnO samples was carried out in an air and argon atmosphere. The morphology, crystallinity, and phase of the deposited nanostructured ZnO films were established with a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The elemental compositions and chemical states of the ZnO nanostructures were determined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the surface properties were evaluated using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis. The semiconducting behavior of the film was examined by plotting the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics. Moreover, temperature-dependent electrical resistance, photoconductivity, and photocatalytic studies were also carried out. This study showed that by electron beam irradiation, the electrical and photocatalytic activity, and the photo-conducting properties of ZnO thin film can be improved to the desired level.