Electrodeposition of ZnO nanowires with controlled dimensions for photovoltaic applications: Role of buffer layer

The role of a ZnO buffer layer on the electrodeposition of ZnO nanowire arrays was analyzed. ZnO buffer layers were deposited on conducting glass substrates by spray pyrolysis and electrodeposition. The electrodeposited ZnO buffer layer resulted in a collection of open-packed small grains (∼ 20 nm), while the sprayed layers were comprised of close-packed grains with size in the range of 15–100 nm. The ZnO nanowire arrays electrodeposited on ZnO buffer layers exhibited increased nanowire density (by factors of 6× and 3×, for electrodeposited and sprayed buffer layers, respectively) compared to arrays deposited directly on naked substrates, demonstrating that ZnO nanocrystalline layers can be used to increase nucleation sites for nanowire growth. On the other hand, nanowire diameters were tailored from 45 to 160 nm as a function of the size of the grains in the buffer layer. The influence of crystallographic orientation of the buffer layer was also analyzed.