InZnO nanorods obtained via zinc vapour phase deposition on liquid indium seeded substrates

Indium zinc oxide nanorods (IZO-NRs) have been obtained at temperatures lower than 500 degrees C in a conventional CVD system, with a resulting indium concentration larger than 1%. The growth of these ternary oxide nanostructures has been obtained, simply starting from the corresponding metals, thanks to the direct deposition on the growth substrate of an In layer, which in its molten state and upon mixture with Zn acts as a growth seed. The obtained In concentration corresponds to the value required to achieve metallic behaviour and makes this ternary oxide an ideal TCO (transparent conducting oxide), while the used temperature range (<500 degrees C) makes this vapour phase process compatible also with commercial glass substrates, without using any expensive metal-organic precursor.