A novel electrochemical deposition route for the preparation of Zn1−xCdxO nanorods with controllable optical properties

Here we explored a novel and facile electrochemical route for the preparation of Zn1−xCdxO (x is atomic percentage of Cd) nanorods with controllable optical properties. The Zn1−xCdxO nanorods can be routinely obtained when the electrochemical deposition was carried out in solution of Zn(NO3)2 + Cd(NO3)2 + citric acid at −1.0 V (vs SCE). EDS results demonstrated that Cd, Zn, and O elements existed in the deposits, and ternary Zn1−xCdxO compounds were obtained. XRD results showed that Zn1−xCdxO nanorods were pure ZnO wurtzite structures. HRTEM and SAED analyses confirmed that Zn1−xCdxO nanorods were single-crystalline. The optical properties of Zn1−xCdxO nanorods were investigated in this paper.