Dielectric property and structure of anodic alumina template and their effects on the electrophoretic deposition characteristics of ZnO nanowire arrays

The template-mediated preparation for ZnO nanowire arrays was conducted by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) within the channel of anodic alumina membrane (AAM) template in this study. The influence of annealing temperature on the structure and dielectric properties of AAM template is investigated, and the related deposition mechanisms and morphologies of ZnO nanowire arrays at different AAM annealing temperatures and applied voltages are also discussed. The results show that heat treatment strongly affects the microstructure and dielectric properties of AAM templates, which in turn determines the deposition characteristics of ZnO nanoparticles within template during EPD process. The phase of AAM is changed from amorphous to crystalline structure after annealing. In addition, the grain size and dielectric constant of AAM increase as annealing temperature increases. The breakdown characteristic of AAM is closely related to the oxygen vacancy and grain size of AAM itself, and the applied voltages. The morphologies of ZnO nanowire arrays and current-time curve during EPD are determined by the breakdown behaviors of AAM templates and the applied voltages. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.