Fabrication of polypyrrole/ZnO nanowires based organic-inorganic hybrid p-n junctions

Abstract

Co-assembly studies on organic-inorganic hybrid matrices have recently started to receive significant interest for a wide range of optoelectronic applications. In this regard, a simple solution processing methodology has been demonstrated for the fabrication of organic-inorganic hybrid heterostructures, composed of p-type polypyrrole and n-type ZnO nanowires. To construct such architectures, pyrrole monomers were sequentially polymerized on the hydrothermally grown ZnO nanowires, through an in-situ chemical polymerization route. The morphological dissemination of the polymer matrices on the inorganic nanostructures were collectively examined using microscopic tools. The formation of polymer deposits and their other structural characteristics were inferred using Raman and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopic measurements. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics studied across the constructed hybrid p-n junctions revealed a significant improvement in the forward current values under illumination, further substantiating the potential of the present structure for optoelectronic functions.