Local environment of Cu doped vertically aligned wurtzite ZnO nanowires probed by XNLD

Vertically aligned wurtzite ZnO nanowires doped with Cu are investigated by X-ray Natural Linear Dichroism. XNLD measurements performed at the Cu and Zn K-edges will allow us to probe the charge anisotropy of the empty 4p states and with the help of FDMNES simulations to provide information on the local environment surrounding the Cu dopants. Those measurements done on as-grown samples under different pH conditions will give us a deep insight into the physicochemical processes during the formation of ZnO NWs and the related copper incorporation mechanisms which will open the way for carefully controlling their physical properties as required for nanoscale device engineering.