Multiple morphologies of ZnO films synthesized on flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) by electroless deposition

Multiple morphologies of ZnO films were synthesized on flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) by electroless deposition, using Zn(NO3)2 and dimethylamineborane(DMAB) solutions. ZnO nanorods, nanohexagonal prisms and microflakes films can be obtained by adjusting Zn(NO3)2 concentration. The XRD results revealed the ZnO films have a wurtzite structure. The room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra of ZnO/PET films exhibited dominated purple peak, negligible blue and green peak, indicating an excellent optical property. Sheet resistance of ZnO/PET films decreased from 1.04×106 to 6.42×105 Ω/sq. as the grain size of the ZnO crystals grew up. Furthermore, hydrogen separation theory was put forward in the deposition process. The knowledge acquired in this work is significant for the ZnO films with applications in optoelectronic devices.