Affiliation:
1. NanoTech Laboratory School of Engineering Faculty of Science and Engineering Macquarie University Sydney 2109 Australia
2. School of Engineering Faculty of Science and Engineering Macquarie University Sydney 2109 Australia
Abstract
AbstractSelf‐assembled nanoparticle networks have emerged as multifunctional building blocks for a new generation of highly sensitive sensing technologies that offer large surface‐to‐volume ratios and a range of associated benefits. Unfortunately, with nanoparticle networks often being held together by weak van der Waals forces, the development of useful commercial devices is slowed by the relatively low robustness and poor carrier transport characteristics. This study shows how the application of a single droplet of ethanol can induce capillary forces capability of delivering significant changes to the morphological, structural, optical, and electronic properties of ZnO nanoclusters. It demonstrates how ZnO nanocluster “dendrites” and nanoparticles are forced together to form micro‐scale islands and larger nanoparticles, and thereby improve the robustness of the layers and the quality of the junctions between the nanoparticles without significantly reducing the overall porosity of the layer or degrading the structural or optical properties in any way. The commensurate improvement in the electronic transport within the layers is found to greatly improve the photoresponse of UV detectors. It seems likely that the application of ethanol and the exploitation of capillary force can provide a technique that can greatly benefit any nanostructured, ultra‐porous device where poor charge transport currently limits performance.
Subject
Electrochemistry,Condensed Matter Physics,Biomaterials,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials