Influence of polyvinyl pyrrolidone on the formation and properties of ZnO thin films in chemical bath deposition

Thin films consisting of ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by solvolysis from solutions of zinc acetate, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and sodium hydroxide in 2-propanol at temperatures of 328 K. Uniform, photoluminescent films with homogeneous surface coverage were obtained on silicon wafers modified with SO3–H terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). High resolution transmission electron micrographs and the corresponding electron diffraction patterns in combination with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy revealed that nanocrystalline wurtzite-type ZnO is present in the films.