Study of Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of Hydrothermally Synthesised Cu- doped ZnO Nanorods.

We have synthesized Cu-doped ZnO nanorods having a length within the range of 400 ± 100 nm and diameter 80 ± 10 nm via hydrothermal method. Hexagonal wurtzite structures of the prepared samples are confirmed via X-ray diffraction (XRD). A significant change in the band gap (3.00 -3.28 eV) is observed with the increase in Cu doping concentration (0-10 mole %) in the UV-Vis absorption spectra. Also, an enhancement in current is obtained in the I-V measurement with increasing Cu content in the ZnO. The present results suggest that the incorporation of Cu in ZnO has improved the optical and electrical properties which make it a good candidate for optoelectronic applications and solar cell devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]