Self-organized ZnAl2O4 nanostructures grown on -sapphire

Self-organized ZnAl₂O₄ nanostructures with the appearance (in SEM) of high aspect ratio horizontal nanowires are grown on uncatalysed c-sapphire by vapour phase transport. The nanostructures grow as three equivalent crystallographic variants on c-sapphire. Raman and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy confirm that the nanostructures are not ZnO and TEM shows that they are the cubic spinel, zinc aluminate, ZnAl₂O₄, formed by the reaction of Zn and O with the sapphire substrate.     

Synthesis,structural and ellipsometric evaluation of oxygen-deficient and nearly stoichiometric zinc oxide and indium oxide nanowires/nanoparticles

Oxygen-deficient (OD) and nearly stoichiometric (NST) ZnO and In₂O₃ nanowires/nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition on Au-coated silicon substrates. The OD ZnO and OD In₂O₃ nanowires were synthesized at 750 and 950°C, respectively, using Ar flow at ambient pressure. A mixture of flowing Ar and O₂ was used for synthesizing NST ZnO nanowires and NST In₂O₃ nanoparticles. Growth of OD ZnO nanowires and NST In₂O₃ nanoparticles was found to be via a vapor–solid (VS) mechanism and the growth of NST ZnO nanowires was via a vapor–liquid–solid mechanism (VLS). However, it was uncertain whether the growth of OD In₂O₃ nanowires was via a VS or VLS mechanism. The optical constants, thickness and surface roughness of the prepared nanostructured films were determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. A three-layered model was used to fit the calculated data to the experimental ellipsometric spectra. The refractive index of OD ZnO, NST ZnO nanowires and NST In₂O₃ nanoparticles films displayed normal dispersion behavior. The calculated optical band gap values for OD ZnO, NST ZnO, OD In₂O₃ nanowires and NST In₂O₃ nanoparticles films were 3.03, 3.55, 2.81 and 3.52?eV, respectively.     

Structural phase transition and the related electronic and optical properties of MgZnO nanowires

We theoretically investigate the stabilities and electronic structures of MgZnO nanowires with different compositions of Mg. It is found that with increasing composition of Mg, wurzite MgZnO nanowires become less stable, and cubic MgZnO nanowires are energetically favored. The phase transition from wurzite to cubic structure occurs, when the composition of Mg in the Mg _x Zn_{1- x} O nanowire reaches about 0.65. Furthermore, our calculations show that the band gaps can be effectively modulated by composition of Mg for either wurzite or cubic nanowires. This is reflected in the calculated absorption spectra, where the absorption edges shift with variation of the compositions of Mg.     

The characterization of Cr secondary oxide phases in ZnO films studied by X-ray spectroscopy and photoemission spectroscopy

X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES), X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES), and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the Cr secondary oxide phases in ZnO films that had been prepared using a co-sputtering method. Analysis of the Cr L_3,2-edge XANES spectra reveals that the intensity of white-line features decreases subtly as the sputtering power increases, indicating that the occupation of Cr 3d orbitals increases with Cr concentration in (Zn, Cr)O films. The O K-edge spectra show that the intensity of XANES features of (Zn, Cr)O films is lower than those of ZnO film, suggesting enhanced occupation of O 2p-derived states through O 2p-Cr 3d hybridization. The XES and XPS spectra indicate that the line shapes in the valence band of (Zn, Cr)O films are quite different from those of ZnO and that the Cr₂O₃ phase dominates the spinel structure of (Zn, Cr)O films increasingly as the Cr sputtering power is increased. Over all results suggest that the non-ferromagnetic behavior of (Zn, Cr)O films can be attributed to the dominant presence of Cr₂O₃, whereas the bulk comprise phase segregations of Cr₂O₃ and/or ZnCr₂O₄, which results them the most stable TM-doped ZnO material against etching.     

Hydrothermal synthesis and gas sensing properties of?single-crystalline ultralong ZnO nanowires

Ultralong ZnO nanowires were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal reaction of Zn foil and aqueous Na₂C₂O₄ solution at 140°C. The as-synthesized ZnO nanowires are single crystalline with the wurtzite structure and grow in the [0001] direction. The role of Na₂C₂O₄ in the formation of ultralong ZnO nanowires was investigated, and a possible mechanism was also proposed to account for the formation of the ultralong ZnO nanowires. The gas sensor fabricated on the basis of the ultralong ZnO nanowires showed excellent response characteristics towards NH₃ and N(C₂H₅)₃ vapors with low concentration, and its detection limits for NH₃ and N(C₂H₅)₃ are about 0.2 and 0.15 ppm at the working temperature of 180°C, respectively. This result suggests potential applications of the ultralong ZnO nanowires in monitoring flammable, toxic and corrosive gases.     

Synthesis of dimension-tunable ZnO nanostructures via the design of zinc hydroxide precursors

A facile synthesis route is presented to achieve dimension-tunable ZnO nanostructures by the design of zinc hydroxide precursors under the surfactant-free condition. From three types of zinc hydroxide precursors, namely, crystalline Zn(OH)(NO₃)(H₂O) nanobelts, amorphous zinc hydroxides microparticles and soluble Zn(OH)^2-₄\mathrm{Zn}(\mathrm{OH})^{2-}_{4} species, the porous ZnO nanosheets, ZnO nanoparticles and ZnO nanowires can be achieved, respectively. The porous ZnO nanosheets exhibit large polar surface area. Thermal analysis indicates that the crystalline Zn(OH)(NO₃)(H₂O) nanobelts were converted to the porous ZnO nanosheets by in situ lattice reconstruction, which was attributed to the unique fibrous structure of Zn(OH)(NO₃)(H₂O) nanobelts. The as-prepared dimension-tunable ZnO nanostructures have potential applications in solar cells, photocatalysis, novel chemical and biological sensors, etc.     

Novel photoluminescence properties of InAlO3（ZnO）m superlattice nanowires

One-dimension InAlO 3 (ZnO) m superlattice nanowires were successfully synthesized via chemical vapor deposition.Transmission electron microscopy measurements reveal that the nanowires have a periodic layered structure along the 0001 direction.The photoluminescence properties of InAlO 3 (ZnO) m superlattice nanowires are studied for the first time.The near-band-edge emissions exhibit an obvious red shift due to the formation of the localized tail states.The two peaks centered at 3.348 eV and 3.299 eV indicate a lever phenomenon at the low-temperature region.A new luminescence mechanism is proposed,combined with the special energy band structure of InAlO 3 (ZnO) m.     

白宝石衬底上生长的MgxZn1-xO晶体薄膜的结构和光学性能

在白宝石 (sapphire)衬底上低温外延生长出了MgxZn1 -xO晶体薄膜 .x射线衍射 (XRD)及能量色散x射线 (EDX)分析表明 ,MgxZn1 -xO薄膜的晶体结构依赖于薄膜中Mg的组分x,随着Mg组分的增大 ,MgxZn1 -xO薄膜的结构从与ZnO晶体一致的六方结构转变为与MgO晶体一致的立方结构 .对MgxZn1 -xO薄膜的紫外透射光谱及紫外光致荧光谱 (UVPL)的分析表明 ,随着Mg组分的增大 ,光学吸收边产生明显的蓝移 ,表明MgxZn1 -xO晶体薄膜的带隙增大 ,且带隙连续可调 .吸收光谱和XRD测量显示 ,带隙高达 5 6 5eV的MgxZn1 -xO晶体薄膜与MgO之间的晶格失配仅为0 16 % .     

The growth mechanism of ZnO single-crystal nanorods synthesized by polymer complexing with zinc salts

The growth mechanism of single-crystal ZnO nanorods synthesized by the method of polymer complexing with zinc salts is investigated. The annealing temperature is controlled at about the decomposition temperature of dihydrate zinc acetate (Zn(O₂CCH₃)₂·2H₂O) of 573 K. By changing the annealing time, the ZnO nanostructures can be modified from nanoparticles to nanorods. As a result, the formation of single-crystal ZnO nanorods can be observed. Through investigating the Fourier transform infrared spectra of (a) polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), (b) Zn(O₂CCH₃)₂·2H₂O and (c) the mixture of PVP and Zn(O₂CCH₃)₂(H₂O)₂, the interaction between PVP and Zn(O₂CCH₃)₂·2H₂O can be observed. PVP plays an important role in the growth of the single-crystal ZnO nanorods. We analyze the growth process of ZnO nanorods by observing their TEM images at different moments. Consequently, our results indicate that the single-crystal ZnO nanorods were formed by self-assembling the ZnO nanoparticles. PACS 61.46.Hk; 61.46.Df; 78.30.-j; 81.07.-b; 81.16.Be     

Low-temperature growth and ethanol-sensing characteristics of quasi-one-dimensional ZnO nanostructures

ZnO nanorods, nanobelts, nanowires, and tetrapod nanowires were synthesized via thermal evaporation of Zn powder at temperatures in the range 550-600 °C under flow of Ar or Ar/O₂ as carrier gas. Uniform ZnO nanowires with diameter 15-25 nm and tetrapod nanowires with diameter 30-50 nm were obtained by strictly controlling the evaporation process. Our experimental results revealed that the concentration of O₂ in the carrier gas was a key factor to control the morphology of ZnO nanostructures. The gas sensors fabricated from quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) ZnO nanostructures exhibited a good performance. The sensor response to 500 ppm ethanol was up to about 5.3 at the operating temperature 300 °C. Both response and recovery times were less than 20 s. The gas-sensing mechanism of the ZnO nanostructures is also discussed and their potential application is indicated accordingly.     

Effect of substrate temperature on the morphology, structural and optical properties of Zn1−xCoxO thin films

Zn_1−xCo_xO thin films with c-axis preferred orientation were deposited on sapphire (0 0 0 1) by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique at different substrate temperatures in an oxygen-deficient ambient. The effect of substrate temperature on the microstructure, morphology and the optical properties of the Zn_1−xCo_xO thin films was studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-visible-NIR spectrophotometer, fluorescence spectrophotometer. The results showed that the crystallization of the films was promoted as substrate temperature rose. The structure of the samples was not distorted by the Co incorporating into ZnO lattice. The surface roughness of all samples decreased as substrate temperature increased. The Co concentration in the film was higher than in the target. Emission peak near band edge emission of ZnO from the PL spectra of the all samples was quenched because the dopant complexes acted as non-radiative centers. While three emission bands located at 409 nm (3.03 eV), 496 nm (2.5 eV) and 513 nm (2.4 eV) were, respectively, observed from the PL spectra of the four samples. The three emission bands were in relation to Zn interstitials, Zn vacancies and the complex of V_O and Zn_i (V_OZn_i). The quantity of the Zn interstitials maintained invariable basically, while the quantity of the V_OZn_i slightly decreased as substrate temperature increased.     

Time-resolved spectroscopy of excitonic transitions in ZnO/(Zn, Mg)O quantum wells

We report on the optical spectroscopy of a series of ZnO/(Zn, Mg)O quantum wells of different widths, using time-resolved photoluminescence. The samples were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on ZnO templates, themselves deposited on sapphire substrates. The barriers consist of Zn_0.78Mg_0.22O layers. The presence of large internal electric fields in these quantum wells results in a competition between quantum confinement and the quantum confined Stark effect as the quantum well width is varied. A transition energy lying 0.5 eV below the ZnO excitonic gap was observed for the widest of our wells. The PL spectra of the wide quantum wells were obtained using time-integrated photoluminescence, taking a great care with screening effects induced by their very slow dynamics. The effect of the built-in electric field on the excitonic properties was investigated. The excitonic fine structure is shown to depend strongly on the enhancement or suppression of the exchange interaction as a function of the quantum well width.     

Cathodoluminescence characterization of ZnO:Te microstructures obtained with ZnTe and TeO2 doping precursors

ZnTe- and TeO₂-doped ZnO nanostructures and microstructures were obtained by a vapour–solid process by sintering compacted ZnO powder mixed with each precursor. Cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements show that if TeO₂ is used, then the defect band, due mainly to O vacancies (V _O), tends to reduce and even disapear, which indicates that Te reacts with ZnO and passivates the O vacancies better than if ZnTe is used as a precursor. With both precursors, a CL peak at about 3.08–3.17 eV, which overlaps with that of ZnO at about 3.26 eV, indicates that ZnTe_xO_1−x forms.     

Fabrication and low-temperature photoluminescence spectra of Mn-doped ZnO nanowires

Mn-doped ZnO nanowires have been fabricated through a high temperature vapor-solid deposition process. The low-temperature photoluminescence spectra of the samples show that there are multipeak emissions at the ultraviolet (UV) region (about 3.4?C3.0?eV). The excitonic and phonon-assisted transitions in Mn-doped ZnO nanowires were investigated. The results show that there is an obvious oscillatory structure emission at the UV region under low temperature from 12?C125?K. The oscillatory structure has an energy periodicity about 70?meV and the oscillatory structure is mainly attributed to longitudinal optical (LO) phonon replicas of free excitons?(FX). The multipeak emissions at 12?K are attributed to a donor-bound exciton (DBX, 3.3617?eV), 1LO-phonon replicas of a free exciton (FX-1LO, 3.3105?eV), 2LO-phonon replicas of a free exciton (FX-2LO, 3.2396?eV), and 3LO-phonon replicas of a free exciton (FX-3LO, 3.1692?eV), respectively. The intensity of UV emission and the efficiency of emission from the Mn-doped ZnO nanowires are improved.     

制备工艺对Zn1-xMgxO薄膜结构及光学性能的影响

采用脉冲激光沉积（PLD）方法在单晶Si（100）衬底上沿c轴方向生长单晶Zn_1-xMg_xO薄膜,通过X射线衍射（XRD）、原子力显微镜（AFM）、扫描电镜（SEM）和荧光光谱（PL）研究了膜厚、Mg含量、退火温度及氧气氛等制备工艺对Zn_1-xMg_xO薄膜的结构、形貌和光学性质的影响.实验结果表明,Mg含量x≤0.15时, Zn_{关键词： 1-x}Mg_xO薄膜')" href="#">Zn_1-xMg_xO薄膜 制备工艺 结构 光学性质     

温度对ZnO/Al2O3(0001)界面的吸附、扩散及生长初期模式的影响

构建了一个ZnO沉积在α-Al₂O₃(0001)表面生长初期的模型，采用基于密度泛函理论的平面波超软赝势法进行了动力学模拟.发现在400，600和800℃的条件下界面原子有不同的扩散能力，因此温度对ZnO/α-Al₂O₃(0001)表面界面结构以及ZnO薄膜生长初期模式有决定性的影响.在整个ZnO吸附生长过程中，O原子的扩散系数大于Zn原子的扩散系数，O原子的层间扩散对薄膜的均匀生长起着重要作用.进一步从理论计算上证实了ZnO在蓝宝石(0001)上两种生长模式的存在，400℃左右生长模式主要是Zn螺旋扭曲生长，具有Zn六角平面对称特征，且有利于Zn原子位于最外表面.600℃左右呈现为比较规则的层状生长，且有利于O原子位于最外表面.模拟观察到在ZnO薄膜临近Al₂O₃基片表面处，Zn的空位缺陷明显多于O的空位缺陷. 关键词： 扩散 薄膜生长 2O₃(0001)')" href="#">α-Al₂O₃(0001) ZnO     

Evidence for replacing zinc with cobalt and iron atoms in epitaxial ZnO:CoFe-diluted magnetic semiconductors

The structure and local environment of ZnO:CoFe were investigated. An epitaxial structure of ZnO thin film doped with CoFe on Al₂O₃ substrate was confirmed by XRD. By fitting the Zn EXAFS spectra, the bond distances and coordination numbers of Zn atoms in the ZnO:CoFe show that Co and Fe ions replace some positions of zinc atoms. The XANES study of Zn and O also show that CoFe cluster formation in this system can be excluded.     

Effect of growth temperature on the ZnO nanowires prepared by thermal heating of Zn powders

ZnO nanowires have been synthesized by heating Zn powders under nitrogen (N₂) gas atmosphere. The influence of the growth temperature on the morphology, structure, and photoluminescence (PL) properties of ZnO nanowires has been investigated. At the higher-temperature growth process, thinner nanowires have been obtained. Interestingly, it is observed that the variation of growth temperature has significantly affected the photoluminescence spectra of the ZnO nanowires, showing an enhancement in the relative intensity of the green to UV emission bands with the increase of the growth temperature. In addition, the oxygen sensing properties of the as-synthesized ZnO nanowires were tested.     

Ferromagnetism of V-doped ZnO nanowires

The geometry structures,electronic structures,and magnetic properties of Zn46V2O48 nanowires are studied by density functional theory(DFT) calculations.We find that the ferromagnetic(FM) coupling is more stable for six configurations of Zn46V2O48 nanowires,and is mediated by neighboring O as evidenced from the strong hybridization of V 3d and O 2p states,exhibiting strong spin polarization.The spin polarization is found to be 100% in the Zn46V2O48 nanowires,which confirms that it is a half-metallic ferromagnet and very suitable for the injection of the spin carriers,which shows that Zn46V2O48 nanowire is one of the ideal materials to realize spin electronic devices.At the same time,the magnetic coupling mechanisms of Zn46V2O48 nanowires are analyzed with V 3d and O 2p orbitals and their magnetic moments mainly come from the contributions of the unpaired electrons of V 3d orbitals.The above results provide a theoretical basis for the preparation of 3d transition metal-doped ZnO nanowire materials.     

On the growth mechanism and optical properties of ZnO multi-layer nanosheets

We report multi-layer ZnO nanosheets obtained by annealing Zn polyhedral particles in pure O₂. The structure comprises a cluster core with side faces terminated with 50-nm-thick multi-layer sheets. The nanosheets were found to be (0001)-oriented single-crystalline wurtzite ZnO. By studying the early growth stages, it appears that the sheets form through a ripening process of dendritic ZnO nanostructures, during which the single-crystalline nature and crystallographic orientation are conserved. The ripening is promoted by the rapid oxidation of the Zn polyhedral microcrystals. We also show that appropriate modification of the oxidation process leads to the formation of well-defined dendritic nanowires. The optical properties (photoluminescence and Raman) of these nanostructured materials are discussed. PACS 81.07.-b; 68.70.+w; 78.67.-n; 81.05.Dz; 68.37.-d