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Abstract
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In this study, the microstructure and stoichiometry of ZnO seed layer driven by a novel electrospun method were evaluated for fabricating a thin film of ZnO nanorods (NRs). The impact of Al and Cu dopants on the morphology, microstructure, composition, and hydrophobicity of seed layers was investigated to understand the stoichiometry role of the seed layer in the optical and photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of ZnO NRs. The results revealed that nanofibers (NFs) were completely transformed into the uniform coating composed of ZnO wurtzite nanoparticles (NPs) with an average size of 18.2 nm suitable sites for conducting the ZnO NRs. With increasing of the stoichiometry of the ZnO seed layer the homogeneity of morphology, the potential growth factor of (002) plane, and the hydrophobicity behavior of seed layers increased, and eventually, the ZnO NRs with a higher l/d ratio, photon absorption, intrinsic defect points, and lower bandgap were formed. The PEC assays indicated that the maximum photocurrent density (0.06 mA cm 2) and photon conversion efficiency (0.35%) were obtained for the ZnO NRs grown on the electrospun ZnO seed layer with the highest stoichiometry. Furthermore, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Mott-Schottky (M S) tests confirmed that the charge transfer resistance and the charge carrier density depend on the stoichiometry of the ZnO seed layer.
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