Defect control and its influence on the exciton emission of electrodeposited ZnO nanorods

Growth of zinc oxide nanorods with controlled defect densities was achieved in a low-temperature electrochemical process. The concentration of the defects was found to play an important role in the exciton emission in the ZnO nanorods, leading to shifts in the peak position and changes in the spectral shape of the band edge emission at room temperature. A high concentration of defects suppressed both free and bound exciton emissions, likely resulting from the exciton scattering by defects. This investigation indicates that the exciton emission can be tuned by the control of defect density, which is important for optoelectronic applications that require a well-defined exciton emission.