Enhanced piezoelectric output voltage and Ohmic behavior in Cr-doped ZnO nanorods

• Low cost highly crystalline Cr-doped ZnO nanorods were synthesized.
• Enhancement in dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties were observed.
• A high output voltage was obtained in AFM.
• Cr-doping resulted in enhanced conductivity and better Ohmic behavior in ZnO/Ag contact.

Highly crystalline Cr-doped ZnO nanorods (NRs) were synthesized by solution technique. The size distribution was analyzed by high resolution tunneling electron microscope (HRTEM) and particle size analyzer. In atomic force microscope (AFM) studies, peak to peak 8 mV output voltage was obtained on the application of constant normal force of 25 nN. It showed high dielectric constant (980) with phase transition at 69 °C. Polarization vs. electric field (P–E) loops with remnant polarization (6.18 μC/cm2) and coercive field (0.96 kV/cm) were obtained. In I–V studies, Cr-doping was found to reduce the rectifying behavior in the Ag/ZnO Schottky contact which is useful for field effect transistor (FET) and solar cell applications. With these excellent properties, Cr-doped ZnO NRs can be used in nanopiezoelectronics, charge storage and ferroelectric applications.

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