Abstract—The microstructures and optical properties of the ZnO deposits were investigated, which were electroplated with direct- and pulse-currents on an ITO-glass in a zinc-nitrate based electrolyte. The surface morphologies of the electroplated ZnO deposits were examined with field emission scanning electron microscope, and their microstructures were detected with X-ray diffractrometer. Meanwhile the transparencies of ZnO-deposited ITO-glass specimens were evaluated. Experimental results show that the surface morphologies, microstructures, and optical properties of the ZnO deposits depend strongly on the plating bath temperature and current density. An amorphous structure of ZnO deposit was achieved when it was electroplated at a bath temperature of 30◦C; while a crystalline ZnO deposit with hexagonal grains was observed at a plating temperature of 60◦C. The crystalline ZnO deposits with a preferred orientation of (101) were obtained by using different plating current densities. With the same coating thickness, the ZnO deposits prepared at 30◦C revealed higher transparencies than those prepared at 60◦C. Moreover, the transparency of ITO glass can be markedly improved at a wavelength higher than 500 nm when it was coated a thin ZnO layer by using pulse-current plating at 30◦C.
Index Terms—Electroplating, transparency, ZnO deposit.
Ching An Huang, Chin Huo Chuang and Kong Chen Li are with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan (e-mail: gfehu@mail.cgu.edu.tw).
Fu Yung Hsu is with the Department of Materials Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei 243, Taiwan.
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Cite: Ching An Huang, Chin Huo Chuang, Fu Yung Hsu, and Kong Chen Li, "The Properties of ZnO Deposits Electroplated on an ITO Glass Substrate with Direct- and Pulse Currents," International Journal of Materials, Mechanics and Manufacturing vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-5, 2017.
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