Reproducible Chemical Bath Deposition of ZnO by a One-Step Method: The Importance of “Contaminants” in Nucleation

Chemical bath deposition of ZnO nanorod films has been accomplished without the need for a seed layer using ethanolamine (as complexant) contaminated with iron. Iron (hydroxy)oxides formed in situ act as nucleation centers for the ZnO growth. This demonstrates the importance of impurities in solution deposition of ZnO.