Controlling the Growth of ZnO-SiO2 Nanostructures Using Pt-Coated Si Substrate

ZnO-SiO₂ nanostructures were grown on both bare Si and Pt-coated Si substrates via chemical bath deposition (CBD). The grown nanostructures were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) measurement and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy. Surface morphology results revealed that Pt-coated Si substrate have promoted the growth of ZnO-SiO₂ nanostructures by providing more active sites for nucleation thus formation ZnO-SiO₂ nanostructures were observed. It is believed that SiO₂ will adhere to the non-polar sides of the grown ZnO nanostructures. This result is manifested in the FTIR spectra which showed a pronounced peak corresponding to ZnO-SiO₂ grown on bare Si suggesting that more Si-O bonds are present. However, Pt-coating did not significantly affect the band gap of the grown ZnO-SiO₂ nanostructures.