ZnO nanorod arrays with tunable size and field emission properties on an ITO substrate achieved by an electrodeposition method

In the present work, vertically aligned ZnO nanorod arrays with tunable size are successfully synthesized on nonseeded ITO glass substrates by a simple electrodeposition method. The effect of growth conditions on the phase, morphology, and orientation of the products are studied in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is observed that the as-prepared nanostructures exhibit a preferred orientation along c axis, and the size and density of the ZnO nanorod can be controlled by changing the concentration of ZnCl₂. Field emission properties of the as-synthesized samples with different diameters are also studied, and the results show that the nanorod arrays with a smaller diameter and appropriate rod density exhibit better emission properties. The ZnO nanorod arrays show a potential application in field emitters.