Effect of annealing atmosphere on the photoluminescence of ZnO nanospheres

ZnO nanospheres were synthesized by a wet-chemical method. X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy confirmed the formation of wurtzite-structured ZnO with regular sphere shape. Two Raman modes located at 333 cm⁻¹ and 437 cm⁻¹ with two additional Raman humps centered at 577 cm⁻¹ and 1077 cm⁻¹ were observed. Photoluminescence spectra showed ultraviolet, green, orange and red emissions, which changed significantly after the samples were annealed in air, oxygen, argon and forming gas four different ambiences. All the evidence indicates that surface states are responsible to orange and red emissions in addition to excitonic recombination (3.18 eV) and oxygen vacancy (2.25 eV) emission.