Fabrication of ZnO Nanostructures with Self-Cleaning Functionality

Kok Kuan Ying; Inn Khuan Ng; Nur Ubaidah Saidin; Farah Khuwailah Ahmad Bustamam

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.364.100

Paper Titles

Preparation and Characterization of Poly(lactic acid)/Difatty Acyl Urea/Modified Clay Nanocomposite
p.81

Solvent Effects on the Electrical and Optical Properties of Nanocomposited MEH-PPV:TiO₂ Films for Organic Solar Cells Application
p.86

Enhanced Properties of Porous GaN Prepared by UV Assisted Electrochemical Etching
p.90

Synthesis and Characterization of New Bolaform Surfactant from Palm Oil Derivative
p.95

Fabrication of ZnO Nanostructures with Self-Cleaning Functionality
p.100

Optical Properties and Surface Morphology of PMMA: TiO₂ Nanocomposite Thin Films
p.105

Surface Morphology and Structural Properties of Silver Thin Films Prepared on Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Substrate by Screen Printing Technique
p.110

Development of Nanotechnology in High Performance Concrete
p.115

Effect of R.F Power to the Properties of ZnO Thin Films Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering
p.119

HomeAdvanced Materials ResearchAdvanced Materials Research Vol. 364Fabrication of ZnO Nanostructures with...

Fabrication of ZnO Nanostructures with Self-Cleaning Functionality

Abstract:

The science of biomimicry has served as a fusion point between nature and technology where one could adopt nature’s best solution for human’s use. Lotus leaf, for example, possesses self-cleaning capability due to the unique physical and chemical properties of its surface structural features. In this work, we aimed to mimic these features on glass surface using ZnO nanostructures to achieve the self-cleaning functionality. A series of ZnO films were electrochemically deposited on indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) conducting glass substrates from different aqueous electrolytes at systematically varied deposition potentials and electrolyte conditions. The surface morphology, density, orientation and aspect ratio of the ZnO micro/nanostructures obtained were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). ZnO ranging from two dimensional plate-like to one-dimensional needle-like micro/nanostructures were observed. Results from these studies show that lower electrolyte concentrations tend to favor one-dimensional growth of ZnO nanostructures that self-assembled into micron-size flower-like clusters at higher deposition temperatures. The ZnO-modified hierarchical dual-structured surface exhibits superhydrophobic property with water contact angle as high as 170^o.