Growth of vertically aligned CdTe nanorod arrays through patterned electrodeposition

•Produced CdTe nanorod array by electrodeposition on lithographically patterned nanoelectrodes.•CdTe nanorod arrays showed higher photoelectrochemical response compared to planar thin film.•The method can be utilized for the fabrication of nanowire arrays on flexible substrates.•The method can be further modified to grow ordered arrays of complex nanowire architectures.

We have successfully developed a simple, reproducible and scalable technique for growing CdTe nanorod arrays on conducting surfaces through electrodeposition on patterned nanoelectrodes. The vertically aligned CdTe nanorods grown as arrays over large area were exceptionally homogeneous in terms of their diameter and length. The ensemble of the CdTe nanorod arrays covering an area of approximately 75×75 μm2, exhibited a photocurrent density in the mA range, which was significantly higher than that obtained from a CdTe film with similar coverage grown under analogous conditions. This approach can be further extended to grow complex nanowire composition including heterojunction semiconductor nanowires incorporating a lateral and radial p–n junction by simple modification of the lithography and electrodeposition steps.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide