Facile synthesis of single crystalline n-/p-type ZnO nanorods by lithium substitution and their photoluminescence, electrochemical and photocatalytic propertiesElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nj02255f

• Main Authors: Thakur, Indrani, Chatterjee, Sriparna, Swain, Smrutirekha, Ghosh, Arnab, Behera, Swaroop K, Chaudhary, Yatendra S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1144-0546; 1369-9261
• DOI: 10.1039/c4nj02255f

Both n- and p-type single crystalline ZnO nanorods were successfully synthesized via a facile one step solvothermal method by lithium substitution. It was observed that substitution of Li is critical for the formation of n-type or p-type ZnO nanorods. The detailed formation mechanism indicates that the transition from n-type behavior to p-type behavior is due to the presence of defect states and lithium incorporation in the lattice. Using photoluminescence (PL) measurements, the role of defect states in generating the p-type or n-type nature of ZnO nanorods via Li substitution has been analyzed. Furthermore, the photocatalytic performances of the as-prepared ZnO nanorods have been investigated towards the degradation of rhodamine B and methyl orange, and the results demonstrate that the n-type ZnO nanorods behave as an excellent photocatalyst compared to the p-type ZnO nanorods owing to their higher charge carrier density. Photocatalytic efficiency of unsubstituted ZnO is greater than Li substituted ZnO nanorods due to the presence of defect states and higher charge carrier density.