Electroluminescence from monolayer ZnO nanoparticles using dry coating technique

We report ultraviolet electroluminescence from ZnO nanoparticle-based devices prepared by the dry-coating technique. With dry-coating process, the structure of the ZnO nanoparticle monolayer (90 nm) in the device can be easily achieved. The method reduces the density of pinhole defects in the ZnO nanoparticles. The confirmation for dry coating is investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The devices show the ZnO band-gap emission peak at 380 nm and the background emission from the interface between the host matrix and Aluminum tris-8-hydroxyquinoline. The origins of the ZnO band-gap emission and background emission are also discussed. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.