Electrochemical synthesis and surface characterization of hexagonal Cu-ZnO nano-funnel tube films

An electrochemical deposition technique was used to synthesis hexagonal nano-funnel tube films on zinc foil, utilizing an electrolyte of ZnCl2+H2O2 under ambient conditions. The structures, morphologies, chemical compositions, and optical properties of the synthesized films were characterized using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectrometry (UV-vis-DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectrometry, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) techniques. The XRD pattern showed a set of diffraction peaks that were indexed to the ZnO, Zn(OH)(2), and Cu phases. The SEM observations revealed a cauliflower-like morphology consisting of branches in the form of nano-funnel tubes. The TEM results demonstrated that the synthesized film was comprised of several branches. The EDS studies confirmed the presence of only Cu, Zn, and 0 atoms. The UV-vis-DRS spectrum showed the onset of the band gap absorption peak at similar to 375 nm. The PL studies evaluated various emission bands that originated from different defect mechanisms. In addition, the hexagonal nano-funnel tube film showed a good superhydrophobicity, with a water contact angle of similar to 153 degrees. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.