[101̅0] Oriented Multichannel ZnO Nanowire Arrays with Enhanced Optoelectronic Device Performance

Abstract

Crystallographic orientation and microstructure of metal oxide nanomaterials have great impact on their properties and applications. Here, we report [101̅0] oriented ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays with a multichannel mesostructure. The NW has a preferential growth of low energy (101̅0) crystal plane and exhibits 2–3 orders of magnitude faster electron transport rate than that in nanoparticle (NP) films. Furthermore, the surface area of the as-prepared NW arrays is about 5 times larger than that of conventional NW arrays with similar thickness. These lead to the highest power conversion efficiency of ZnO NW array-based sensitized solar cells. We anticipate that the unique crystallographic orientation and mesostructure will endow ZnO NW arrays new properties and expand their application fields