The Effect of CTAB addition in ZnO Nanorods Optical Properties

ZnO nanorods have been successfully synthesized using precursor of zinc nitrate tetrahydrate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the surfactant. The composition adopted is specified by the ratio of Zn(NO₃)₂·4H₂O:CTAB = 1:0, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 (w/w) using hydrothermal method at temperature of 180 °C for 24 hours. The resulted ZnO nanorods were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UVVis Spectrophotometer. The presence of CTAB addition was found to increase the crystal size. The TEM characterization results showed the formation of homogeneous rods in nano scale. Modified ZnO nanorods improved optical properties, attaining a band gap energy of ∼2.9 eV. The transmittance increases and the reflectance decreases with increasing CTAB.