Luminescence from Zinc Oxide Nanostructures and Polymers and their Hybrid Devices

• Main Authors: Magnus Willander, Omer Nur, Jamil Rana Sadaf, Muhammad Israr Qadir, Saima Zaman, Ahmed Zainelabdin, Nargis Bano, Ijaz Hussain
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2010-04-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: ZnO nanostructures; deep center luminescence; light emitting diodes; hybrid technology
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/3/4/2643/

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a strong luminescent material, as are several polymers. These two materials have distinct drawbacks and advantages, and they can be combined to form nanostructures with many important applications, e.g., large-area white lighting. This paper discusses the origin of visible emission centers in ZnO nanorods grown with different approaches. White light emitting diodes (LEDs) were fabricated by combining n-ZnO nanorods and hollow nanotubes with different p-type materials to form heterojunctions. The p-type component of the hybrids includes p-SiC, p-GaN, and polymers. We conclude by analyzing the electroluminescence of the different light emitting diodes we fabricated. The observed optical, electrical, and electro-optical characteristics of these LEDs are discussed with an emphasis on the deep level centers that cause the emission.