L-Alanine capping of ZnO nanorods: increased carrier concentration in ZnO/CuI heterojunction diode.

ABSTRACT: ZnO nanorods were capped with a simple amino acid, viz., l-alanine to increase the carrier concentration and improve the performance of ZnO/CuI heterojunction diodes. The effect of l-alanine capping on the morphology, structural, optical, electrochemical and electrical properties of ZnO nanorods had been studied in detail. The stable structure with two equally strong Zn-O coordinate bonds predicted by density functional theory was in agreement with the experimental results of FTIR spectroscopy. Due to the presence of electron-releasing (+I effect) moieties in l-Alanine, the carrier concentration of capped ZnO nanorods was two orders of magnitude higher and the ZnO/CuI heterojunction device showed more than a two-fold increase in the photovoltaic power conversion efficiency.

SUBMITTER: Indubala E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9078177 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature