Facile hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO/Co3O4 heterogeneous nanostructures and its electric property

Heterogeneous nanostructures, with many appealing merits, are promising in various applications, including sensing, photovoltaic, light emitting diode and water splitting. Herein, we proposed a novel facile fabrication methods for zinc oxide (ZnO)/cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) heterojunction nanostructures. By growing or assembling Co(OH)₂ nanoplates on ZnO nanowire arrays, the ZnO/Co₃O₄ heterogeneous nanostructures are uniformly prepared on ITO coated glass and wafer. SEM characterization of the synthesized nanostructures reveals its nice crystalline nature. Excellent photovoltaic property is demonstrated through the I-V measurement using conductive atomic force microscope. Thence, the potential application of the heterogeneous nanostructures in solar cells is demonstrated.