Electrical properties of an individual ZnO micro nanorod

Free standing, highly crystalline ZnO micro nanorods have been successfully fabricated using low temperature hydrothermal synthesis. Current-voltage characteristic curves show that ZnO micro nanorods' resistances are proportional to their geometrical ratios, satisfying classical Ohm's law. Temperature-dependent resistance measurements reveal exponential decay of current with temperature, implying good semiconducting properties. Finally, three different thermally-activated impurity levels were identified from the measurements, and these are attributed to Zn interstitials in the bulk. The results are important in supplementing research on nanoelectronics and nanocircuitries.