Similarity Report ID: oid:3618:69634258

PAPER NAME AUTHOR

EFFECTS OF BUFFER LAYER ON THE SU Cho Cho Zan

RFACE MORPHOLOGY OF ZINC TIN OXID
E (ZTO) NANOSTRUCTURE.docx

WORD COUNT CHARACTER COUNT

2271 Words 12425 Characters

PAGE COUNT FILE SIZE

6 Pages 9.4MB

SUBMISSION DATE REPORT DATE

Oct 29, 2024 2:50 PM GMT+6:30 Oct 29, 2024 2:50 PM GMT+6:30

9% Overall Similarity
The combined total of all matches, including overlapping sources, for each database.
3% Internet database 8% Publications database
Crossref database Crossref Posted Content database
0% Submitted Works database

Excluded from Similarity Report

Bibliographic material Quoted material
Cited material Abstract
Methods and Materials Small Matches (Less then 10 words)
Manually excluded text blocks

Summary
EFFECTS OF BUFFER LAYER ON THE SURFACE MORPHOLOGY OF ZINC TIN
OXIDE (ZTO) NANOSTRUCTURE
Cho Cho Zan1, Zin Min Tun2 and Cho Cho Thet3

Abstract
The surface morphology of photoanode materials is a crucial role for the utilizing as an active
layer in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The formation of surface morphology of zinc-tin oxide
(ZTO) nanocomposite depending on the various buffer layer were investigated in this study. ZTO
on three different buffer layer such as zinc oxide (ZnO), titanium dioxide (TiO2) and ZTO was
grown by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The effects of growth time on the structural
properties of nanocomposite were also examined by varying the growth time including 5, 10 and
15 h in the CBD process. The structural and morphological properties of the nanocomposite were
confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) results. It was
found out that the different surface morphology of ZTO was obtained depending on materials of
buffer layers. The increasing the growth time, the intensity of ZnO and TiO2 peaks were also
increased in ZTO film. The formation of ZTO composite seemed to be larger 15 h than 5 h and
10 h. The influence of different seed buffer layer on the growth of ZnO-TiO2 composite structure
was observed by the variation of morphologies. Nonoparticles, nanoflake and mixed
nanostructure were formed for the films ZTO/ZnO, ZTO/TiO2 and ZTO/ZTO grown by CBD
method.
Keywords: chemical bath deposition (CBD), growth time, nanoflake, nanoparticles, surface
morphology, ZTO film

INTRODUCTION

The buffer layer significantly influences the surface morphology of nanostructures

grown by the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The buffer layer can act as a nucleation
site for promoting uniform nucleation and growth of nanostructures. An aluminum (Al) buffer
layer facilitated the formation of uniformly distributed zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoflakes by
reducing the nucleation barrier (Lahewil et al., 2021). The type and thickness of the buffer
layer can control the orientation and structure of the nanoparticles. ZnO nanowires grown on
different thicknesses of ZnO seed layers show variations in their alignment and density (Azmi,
Z.H et al., 2022). The buffer layer can improve the homogeneity of the nanoparticle
surface. Proper surface preparation and choice of buffer layer material are crucial for achieving
a uniform morphology (Bolshakov A D et al., 2019). The buffer layer can also affect the
crystallinity of the nanoparticles. Studies have shown that different buffer layer materials and
thicknesses can lead to variations in crystal quality and surface morphology (Bolshakov A. D
et al., 2019). These effects are essential for tailoring the properties of nanoparticles for specific
applications
2
in electronics, optoelectronics, and energy devices.
One dimensional nanostructure such as rods, wires, and flakes are among the most
promising nanostructures for the wide range of applications in electronic, optoelectronic,
nanophotonic, electrochemical,
2
and electromechanical devices due to their unique features.
ZnO and TiO2 are the most applicable materials due to their outstanding properties such as
wide direct bandgap, large exciton binding energy at room 5
temperature, and high electron
mobility. Both metal oxides possess common properties such as wide energy band gaps, non-
toxic compounds, chemical stability, and inexpensive.

1
Daw., Demonstrator, Department of Physics, Nationalities Youth Resource Development Degree College
(Yangon)
2
Dr., Associate Professor, Department of Physics, West Yangon University
3
Dr., Professor, Department of Physics, University of Yangon
 Recently, chemical bath deposition (CBD) method is largely used for the synthesis of
nanostructures since it can provide different morphologies and different properties of the
product. The types of precursor, solvent, substrate and solution process parameters such as
growth time, and temperature, are important parameters in this method. Among them, type of
buffer layer in CBD method is one of the most important parameters since growth of thin film
on the bare substrate is inevitable. Without buffer layer, lattice mismatch between the glass or
glass-coated substrate and epilayer can be increased. In this paper, ZnO, TiO2, and ZnO-TiO2
buffer layers on glass substrate are deposited by spin coating method. The structural and
morphological
8
properties of ZnO-TiO2 composite nanostructure grown on different buffer
layers investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) are
discussed.
EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS

Zn(NO3)2. C6H12N4 Stirring ZnO

6H2O solution solution precursor
+

Composite Seed buffer CBD process

solution layer

TiO2 Ethanol sonication TiO2 Composite Annealing

powder nanofluid film

Figure 1. Synthesis photograph of ZTO composite films by CBD method

Preparation of Buffer Layer

To prepare different seed (buffer) layers, firstly glass substrates (1-inch square) were
cleaned in a solution of ethanol, acetone, isopropanol, and distilled water (DW) by sonication.
For ZnO and TiO2 buffer layer, 1 g of ZnO or TiO2 particles and 4 L of ethanol were mixed
and stirred for several days in order to form the well dissolved paste. For the preparation ZTO
paste, the powders of 1 g ZnO and 1 g TiO2 are dissolved in 8 L of ethanol and stirred for
several days. 200 L of each paste was coated onto the glass substrates by two step-spin
coating method at 3000 rpm for 30 min each. The coated ZnO, TiO2 and ZnO-TiO2 films were
annealed at 500 ºC for 1 h. Finally, different buffer layers were successfully obtained.
Preparation of Composite Films on Buffer Layers
4
For the ZnO precursor solution, zinc nitrate hexahydrate, Zn(NO3)2.6H2O (0.05 M) and
hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA, C6H12N4) (0.05 7
M) precursors were separately prepared at
the same concentration. These two precursors were mixed at a ratio of 1:1 volume ratio and
stirred for 1 h in order to form homogeneous ZnO precursor. For the preparation of TiO2
 9
nanofluid, 1 g of TiO2 powder was dissolved in 70 mL of ethanol and sonicated for 4 h in order
to mix the homogeneous solution. For the composite solution, 1:1 volume ratio ZnO precursor
and TiO2 nanofluid were mixed together and they were stirrer for 1 h.
Preparation of ZTO Films by Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD) Method
For CBD growth, each buffer layers prepared by previous step was put vertically inside
the composite solution and placed into the oil bath at a fixed temperature 90 ºC and grown for
5, 10 and 15 h, respectively. After the growing, the composite films were rinsed in DI water
in order to remove any contamination. After that, the films were dried at room temperature.
Finally, the ZTO composite films were annealed at 500 ºC for 1 h. Finally, three types of films
such as ZTO/ZnO, TiO2/ZnO and ZTO/ZTO were successfully received. Synthesis photograph
for the preparation ZnO-TiO2 composite films is displayed in Figure 1.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

ZnO (101)

TiO2 (101)
ZnO (100)
TiO2(101)

2.0 2.0
ZnO (002)

ZnO-TiO2 (5 h)
Normalized Intensity (cps)
ZnO (100)
Normalized Intensity (cps)

ZnO (102)

ZnO (103)

ZnO (112)

1.6
ZnO (100)

TiO2 (200)
ZnO (101)
TiO2 (112)
ZnO (002)

TiO2 (211)
1.5

1.2
ZnO -TiO2 (5 h)
1.0
ZnO-TiO2 (10 h)
0.8
ZnO -TiO2 (10 h)
0.5
ZnO-TiO2 (15 h) 0.4

0.0 ZnO -TiO2 (5 h)

20 30 40 50 60 70 0.0
2 (degree) 20 30 40 50 60 70

2  (degree)

Figure 1 XRD spectrum of ZTO/ZnO film Figure 2 XRD spectrum of ZTO/TiO2 film
at different CBD growth time at different CBD growth time
ZnO (002)
ZnO (101)
ZnO (100)
TiO2 (101)

1.2

1.0 ZnO - TiO2 (5 h)

Normalized Intensity (cps)

ZnO (110)
TiO2 (200)

TiO2 (204)

ZnO (112)
TiO2 (202)

0.8

0.6

ZnO - TiO2 (10 h)

0.4

0.2 ZnO - TiO2 (15 h)

0.0
20 30 40 50 60 70
2  (degree)

Figure 3 XRD spectrum of ZTO/ZTO film at different CBD growth time

 XRD measurement was performed in order to identify the target materials. The
1
diffraction angle 2θ degree at 31.6˚, 34.3˚, 36.2˚, 47.4˚, 56.4˚, 62.7˚, 66.1˚, 67.7˚& 68.8˚ are
attributed to (100), (002), (101), (102), (110), (103), (200), (112) & (201) planes of the
hexagonal crystalline structure (DB card number 9004180). The diffraction angle 2θ degree at
1
25.2˚, 36.9˚, 37.9˚, 38.6˚, 47.6˚, 53.9˚, 55.1˚62.1˚, 62.7˚& 68.7˚of the reflection (101), (103),
(004), (112), (200), (105), (211), (213), (204) & (116) planes (DB card number 9008216) are
1
anatase TiO2. The amalgamation of anatase TiO2 and hexagonal wurtzite ZnO in the mixed
oxide system were also observed in all XRD spectra.
XRD spectra of ZTO films grown on ZnO, TiO2 and ZnO-TiO2 buffer layers at different
growth times are shown in Figure 2, 3 and 4. In Figure 2, three most intensity peaks from (100),
(002 )and (101) were the characteristic peaks of ZnO. In addition, only TiO2 peak from (100)
3
is observed for 5 h growth time. When the growth time was increased to 10 h and 15 h, the
peak from all ZnO peaks were also drastically increased and TiO2 peaks was relatively
decreased. Two ZTO peaks were observed.
In Figure 4, all ZnO peaks from (100), (002 )and (101) were drastically decreased. In
3
addition, only TiO2 peak from (100) is observed for 5 h growth time. When the growth time
was increased to 10 h and 15 h, the peak from all ZnO peaks were also drastically increased
and TiO2 peaks was relatively increased. Again, for the ZTO composite film on ZTO buffer
layer, the intensity of ZnO peaks were higher than that of TiO2. However, the intensity of all
single peak of ZnO and TiO2 peaks were smaller than those in ZTO/ZnO and ZTO/TiO2 films.
Six ZTO peaks were occurred for the growth time 10 and 15 h.
6
The SEM analysis is carried out in order to observe the surface morphology of each
film depending on the various growth time. The SEM images of ZTO/ZnO films are exhibited
in Figure 5. Only particles were observed. The particle size was bigger when the growth hour
was increased. In Figure 6, only the flake structure was formed for the ZTO/TiO2 films.
Similarly, the flakes were bigger while increasing the growth time. When the composite films
were deposited on ZTO buffer film, mixed morphology comprising of both ZnO particles and
TiO2 flake was observed. The more increasing the growth time, the more particles were formed
since the ZnO peak became more prominent and TiO2 flake were the less.

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 5 SEM images of ZTO film onto the ZnO buffer layer at the CBD growth time
(a) 5 (b) 10 and 15 h
 (a) (b) (c)
Figure 7 SEM images of ZTO film onto the TiO2 buffer layer at the CBD growth time
(a) 5 (b) 10 and 15 h

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 6 SEM images of ZTO film onto the ZTO buffer layer at the CBD growth time
(a) 5 (b) 10 and 15 h

Among the structures, nanoflakes have two-dimensional (2D) and nanoparticles have
one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures. Both structures have larger surface area which facilitates
more efficient electron pathways and reduces recombination losses. Although both
nanostructures can enhance efficiency of dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC), nanoflakes may
offer better electron transport and light absorption properties. This may potentially lead to
higher efficiencies of DSSC. However, the choice between nanoparticles and nanoflakes
should be based on the specific requirements and design of the DSSC.

CONCLUSIONS

The surface morphologies of ZnO-TiO2 (ZTO) composite films depending on different

buffer layers grown by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method were discussed. The films
grown on ZnO buffer resulted the particles. On the other hand, the flakes structure was attained
when the films grown on TiO2 buffer layer. Mixed morphology of both particles and flakes
were acquired for the ZTO buffer layer. These different morphologies of the films were
reflected from particular buffer layer used in CBD growth. Therefore, it can be concluded that
types of materials for buffer layer are essential parameters for the formation of epilayers like
particles, flakes and mixing of both particles and flakes in CBD method. Since nanoflakes can
scatter light more effectively within the solar cell, higher photocurrent and better overall
efficiency can be available for the ZnO-TiO2/TiO2 film . Therefore, this work can be applied
as a photoanode materials in DCCS.
 Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge to U Htain Linn, Rector, Nationalities Youth Resource Development
Degree College (Yangon), for his encouragement and allowing us to participate in this event. Our special thanks
go to Dr Yin Maung Maung, Professor and Head of Department of Physics, for his kind permission to contribute
this work and excellent discussion.
References

Azmi, Z.H, et al. (2022), ‘ Layer on the Growth of Zinc Oxide Nanowires by Chemical Bath Deposition Method.
Effect of Seed’ Coatings 2022, 12, 474. https://doi.org/10.3390/ coatings12040474.
Bolshakov A. D, et al. (2021) ‘Effects of the surface preparation and buffer layer on the morphology, electronic
and optical properties of the GaN nanowires on Si’, Nanotechnology 30 395602, DOI 10.1088/1361-
6528/ab2c0c.
Lahewil, A.S.Z., Ahmed, N.M. & Azman, N.Z.N. Structural and optical properties of ZnO nanoflakes/Al/glass
via laser-assisted chemical bath deposition (LACBD) technique. Appl. Phys. A 127, 836 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-021-04996-7.
Lawrence Munguti , et al. (2021), “Effects of Zn:Ti molar ratios on the morphological, optical and photocatalytic
properties of ZnO-TiO2 nanocomposites for application in dye removal, Materials Science in
Semiconductor Processing 128 (2021) 105786.
Sajiv, K.S. et al. (2021) ‘Integrated photo-absorption and improved charge transport kinetics in atomically thin
MoSe2-incorporated nanostructured ZnO photo-anodes for dye-sensitized solar cells’. Appl. Phys. A 127,
966 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-021-05127-y.
Shuwei Hao, et al. (2024), ‘Enhancing dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency through broadband near-infrared
upconverting nanoparticles’, Nanoscale, Advance Article. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NR03962A.
Hamedani, N.F. and Farzaneh, F. (2006) “Synthesis of ZnONano crystals with Hexagonal (Wurtzite) Structure in
Water Using Microwave Irradiation,Iran,J. Sci. Islam. Repub. vol. 17, no. 3, p. 231234.
Talam, S. et al. (2012) “Synthesis, Characterization, and Spectroscopic Properties ZnO Nanoparticles,” ISRN
Nanotechnol., vol. 2012, pp. 1–6, doi: 10.5402/2012/372505.
Kalpana, V. N.et al (2018) “Biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using culture filtrates of Aspergillus niger:
Antimicrobial textiles and dye degradation studies,” Open Nano, vol. 3, pp. 48–55, doi:
10.1016/j.onano.2018.06.001.
Kurapati, S. and Srivastava, P. K. (2018) “Application of Debye-Scherrer Formula in The Determination of Silver
Nona Particles Shape,” Int. J. Manag. Technol. Eng., vol. 8, no. XII, pp. 81–84.
Raja, K. et al. (2014) “Synthesis, structural and optical properties of ZnO and Ni-doped ZnO hexagonal nanorods
by Co-precipitation method,” Spectrochim. Acta - Part A Mol. Biomol. Spectrosc., vol. 120, pp. 19–24,
doi: 10.1016/j.saa.2013.09.103.
Alamdari et al. (2020) “Applsci-10-03620.Pdf,” Appl. Sci., vol. 10, no. 3620, pp. 1–19, [Online]. Available:
doi:10.3390/app10103620
Vidya, Y. S. et al. (2023). “2-Deoxy-D-glucose functionalized zinc oxide nanodrug for kidney cancer treatment,”
Devices, J. Sci. Adv. Mater. vol. 8, no. 3, p. 100587, doi: 10.1016/j.jsamd.2023.100587.

Kalpana,V. N. et al. (2018) “Biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using culture filtrates of Aspergillus niger:
Antimicrobial textiles and dye degradation studies,” OpenNano, vol. 3, pp. 48–55, doi:
10.1016/j.onano.2018.06.001.
 Similarity Report ID: oid:3618:69634258

9% Overall Similarity
Top sources found in the following databases:
3% Internet database 8% Publications database
Crossref database Crossref Posted Content database
0% Submitted Works database

TOP SOURCES
The sources with the highest number of matches within the submission. Overlapping sources will not be
displayed.

Lawrence Munguti, Francis Dejene. "Effects of Zn:Ti molar ratios on th...

1 2%
Crossref

Pourshaban, E., H. Abdizadeh, and M.R. Golobostanfard. "ZnO Nanorod...

2 2%
Crossref

Haili Sun, Zhiyi Li, Wei Wei, Fengxia Liu, Xiaofei Xu, Zhijun Liu. "Oleylam...
3 <1%
Crossref

liu.diva-portal.org
4 <1%
Internet

Youssif S M Elzawiei, Md Roslan Hashim, Mohd Mahadi Halim, Abdulla...

5 <1%
Crossref

publisher.uthm.edu.my
6 <1%
Internet

Azadeh Meshkini, Elnaz Sistanipour, Azadeh Izadi. "Mg.ATP-decorated...

7 <1%
Crossref

science.gov
8 <1%
Internet

Sources overview
 Similarity Report ID: oid:3618:69634258

Garima Jaiswal, Vinod G. Landge, Dinesh Jagadeesan, Ekambaram Bal...

9 <1%
Crossref

Sources overview
 Similarity Report ID: oid:3618:69634258

Excluded from Similarity Report

Bibliographic material Quoted material
Cited material Abstract
Methods and Materials Small Matches (Less then 10 words)
Manually excluded text blocks

EXCLUDED TEXT BLOCKS

degree)2030405060 702 ? (degree)Figure

eprints.ucm.es

ZnO (100)ZnO (002)ZnO (101)TiO2 (112)TiO2 (200)TiO2

pubs.rsc.org

ZnO (100)ZnO (002)ZnO (101)TiO2

pubs.rsc.org

Normalized Intensity (cps)1.21.00.80.60.40.2

ir.vanderbilt.edu

Dr Yin Maung Maung

mmithc on 2024-09-30

Excluded from Similarity Report