Characterization of Ga-doped ZnO Nanorods Synthesized via Microemulsion Method

Gallium-doped ZnO (GZO) nanorods were synthesized by microemulsion method with different types of surfactants. The phase and morphology of the above nanorods were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). SEM observations show that the ZnO nanorods have diameters around 70-200 nm and lengths up to several micrometers. The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of GZO nanorods exhibited a sharp and strong ultraviolet bandgap at 383 nm and a relatively weaker emission associated with the defect level. Resistivity of GZO nanorods synthesized with sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium benzene sulfonate (SBS) surfactants showed 2.84 Ω m and 14.2 Ω m, respectively.