The structure and photoluminescence properties of Bi2O3-core/SnO2-shell nanowires

Bi2O3-core/SnO2-shell nanowires have been prepared by using a two-step process: thermal evaporation of Bi2O3 powders and sputtering of SnO2. The crystalline nature of the Bi2O3-core/SnO2-shell nanowires has been revealed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). TEM analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate that the Bi2O3-core/SnO2-shell nanowires consist of pure tetragonal alpha-Bi2O3-phase momocrystalline cores and tetragonal SnO2-phase polycrystalline shells. The photoluminescence (PL) measurements show that Bi2O3 nanowires have a broad emission band centered at around 560 nm in the yellow-green region. On the other hand, the Bi2O3-core/SnO2-shell coaxial nanowires with the sputtering times of 4 and 8 min have a blue emission band centered at around 450 nm. In contrast, those with a sputtering time of 10 min have a broad emission band centered at approximately 550 nm again. The origin of this yellow-green emission from the core/shell nanowires, however, quite differs from that from Bi2O3 nanowires, i.e., it is not from the Bi2O3 cores but from the SnO2 shells.     

Fabrication and optical properties of mesoporous SnO2 nanowire arrays

Large-scale SnO2 mesoporous nanowires have been successfully synthesized by an improved sol-gel method within the nanochannels of porous anodic alumina templates. In this method, chloride of stannic and urea are used as precursors, chloride of stannic is acting as source of tin ions, and urea offers a basic medium through its hydrolysis. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and selected-area electron diffraction are used to characterize the SnO2 mesoporous nanowires. It is found that the as-prepared nanowires consist of SnO2 nanoparticles and pores. They can be indexed as rutile structures and diameters are about 50-70 nm. The growth mechanism of the mesoporous nanowires is also been discussed. The band gap of the as-prepared mesoporous nanowires is 3.735 eV, determined by UV/visible absorption spectral results. The SnO2 mesoporous nanowires show strong and stable photoluminescence with emission peak centered at 3.730 eV, which has never been reported in nanowires. It could be attributed to the exciton recombination.     

Growth and optical properties of sallow-like hierarchical SnO2 nanostructures

Novel self-organized hierarchical SnO2 nanostructures have been successfully prepared by vapor phase transport with the assistance of a stainless-steel grid at 950 degrees C. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the synthesized product displays interesting sallow-like morphology, in which numerous secondary branches (beak-like nanowires) are grown randomly around the main stems (microwires). Transmission electron microscopy analysis indicates that the branches grow along a direction of [100] and the beak is formed with the growth direction switching to [110]. A room temperature photoluminescence spectrum of the present SnO2 nanostructures shows a strong emission at 572 and 604 nm(-1).     

Rutile structured SnO2 nanowires synthesized with metal catalyst by thermal evaporation method

One-dimensional (1-D) nanostructures such as tubes, rods, wires, and belts have attracted considerable research activities owing to their strong application potential as components for nanosize electronic or optoelectronic devices utilizing superior optical and electrical properties. Characterizing the mechanical properties of nanostructure is of great importance for their applications in electronics, optoelectronics, sensors, actuators. Wide-bandgap SnO2 semiconducting material (Eg = 3.6 eV at room temperature) is one of the attractive candidates for optoelectronic devices operating at room temperature, gas sensors, and transparent conducting electrodes. The synthesis and gas sensing properties of semiconducting SnO2 nanomaterials have became one of important research issues since the first synthesis of SnO2 nanobelts. Considering the important application of SnO2 in sensors, these structures are not only ideal systems for fundamental understanding at the nanoscale level, but they also have potential applications as nanoscale sensors, resonator, and transducers. The structured SnO2 nanorods have been grown on silicon substrates with Au catalytic layer by thermal evporation process over 800 degrees C. The resulting sample is characterized and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The morphology and structural properties of SnO2 nanowires were measured by scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The mean diameter of the SnO2 nanorods grown on Au coated silicon (100) substrate is approximately 80 nm. In addition, X-ray diffraction measurements show that SnO2 nanorods have a rutile structure. The formation of SnO2 nanowires has been attributed to the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanisms depending on the processing conditions. We investigated the growth behavior of the SnO2 nanowires by variation of the growth conditions such as gas partial pressure and temperature.     

Ferromagnetism driven by oxygen vacancies in SnO2 nanowires

Room temperature ferromagnetism has been observed in SnO2 nanowires synthesized by a chemical vapor deposition using Au layers as catalyst. The nanowires are homogeneous and single-crystalline grown along the [101] direction, with diameters ranging from 25 to 100 nm and length greater than 20 microm. The special magnetization reaches 0.114 emu/g for the nanowires with diameter of approximately 25 nm and reduces with increasing diameters. Branched SnO2 nanowires were prepared via a two-step vapor-liquid-solid approach, and an enhanced magnetization was obtained. To the contrary, the nanowires annealed at 1300 degrees C in air were completely transformed into the particles and exhibit weakened magnetization. These results demonstrate that the ferromagnetic properties of the samples depend on the surface-to-volume ratio of nanowires. With a combined study of photoluminescence, our results reveal that the oxygen vacancies at the surface of nanowires contribute to the ferromagnetism of SnO2 nanowires. This argument is further confirmed by a sequential annealing in a rich-oxygen atmosphere, then in a low vacuum condition.     

Enhanced photoluminescence in Au-embedded ITO nanowires

Gold (Au)-embedded indium tin oxide (ITO) nanowires were synthesized by thermal evaporation of a mixture of In(2)O(3,) SnO(2) and graphite powders on Si (100) substrates coated with Au thin films followed by annealing. At the initial stages of annealing, Au formed a continuous linear core located along the long axis of each ITO nanowire. The morphology of the Au core changed from a continuous line to a discrete line, and then to a droplet-like chain, finally evolving into a peapod in which crystalline Au nanoparticles were encapsulated in crystalline ITO with increasing annealing temperature. The ITO nanowires with the Au core showed an emission band at ~380 nm in the ultraviolet region. The ultraviolet emission intensity increased rapidly with increasing annealing temperature. The intensity of emission from the Au-peapod ITO nanowires (annealed at 750 °C) was approximately 20 times higher than that of the emission from the Au-core/ITO-shell ITO nanowires with a continuous linear shaped-Au core (annealed at 550 °C). This ultraintense ultraviolet emission might have originated mainly from the enhanced crystalline quality of the annealed ITO nanowires.     

后栅结构SnO2场致发射显示器件的研制

采用高温气相法生长SnO2纳米线,扫描电子显微镜和X射线衍射仪分析表明所生长的SnO2纳米线大小均匀,直径约为150 nm,长可达10μm。结合丝网印刷法转移SnO2,制备成阴极阵列。封接阴极板与荧光屏成后栅型场致发射显示(FED)器件,测试其场致发射性能,分析讨论栅极电压和阳极电压对场发射性能的影响。实验表明后栅型SnO2-FED具有良好的栅极调控作用,在1600 V阳极电压和200 V栅极电压下工作实现全屏发光,平均发光亮度为560 cd/m2,具有潜在的应用前景。     

Fabrication of reliable semiconductor nanowires by controlling crystalline structure

One-dimensional SnO(2) nanomaterials with wide bandgap characteristics are attractive for flexible and/or transparent displays and high-performance nano-electronics. In this study, the crystallinity of SnO(2) nanowires was regulated by controlling their growth temperatures. Moreover, the correlation of the crystallinity of nanowires with optical and electrical characteristics was analyzed. When SnO(2) nanowires were grown at temperatures below 900?°C, they showed various growth directions and abnormal discontinuity in their crystal structures. On the other hand, most nanowires grown at 950?°C exhibited a regular growth trend in the direction of [100]. In addition, the low temperature photoluminescence measurement revealed that the higher growth temperatures of nanowires gradually decreased the 500 nm peak rather than the 620 nm peak. The former peak is derived from the surface defect related to the shallow energy level and affects nanowire surface states. Owing to crystallinity and defects, the threshold voltage range (maximum-minimum) of SnO(2) nanowire transistors was 1.5 V at 850?°C, 1.1 V at 900?°C, and 0.5 V at 950?°C, with dispersion characteristics dramatically decreased. This study successfully demonstrated the effects of nanowire crystallinity on optical and electrical characteristics. It also suggested that the optical and electrical characteristics of nanowire transistors could be regulated by controlling their growth temperatures in the course of producing SnO(2) nanowires.     

Preparation of SnO2 nanowires by solvent-free method using mesoporous silica template and their gas sensitive properties

In this paper, a facile method was presented to synthesize tin dioxide (SnO2) nanowires by solvent-free method using SnCl2 x 2H2O as precursor and mesoporous silica SBA-15 as the hard template. No solvent was used in the processing. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms. The results indicated that SnO2 nanowires fabricated by this method have a diameter of about 8 nm and a relatively high surface area 73.0 m2/g. The gas sensing properties of SnO2 nanowires were measured. The response and recovery time of this sensor were 6 s and 12 s, respectively. With the concentration of toluene increasing, the response of the sensor doubled increase. Compared with bulk SnO2, SnO2 nanowires showed much higher response to toluene.     

Fabrication of GaN nanowires and nanorods catalyzed with tantalum

Single-crystalline GaN nanowires and nanorods have been fabricated through ammoniating Ga₂O₃ films catalyzed with tantalum (Ta) by RF magnetron sputtering, and microstructure, morphology and optical properties were investigated in particular. The results indicate that the nanowires have a hexagonal wurtzite structure with size about 50 nm in diameter and more than ten microns in length, however, the nanorods are rod-like structures with smooth surface and 100–300 nm in diameter. The growth direction of these nanostructures are perpendicular to the (100) crystal plane. The photoluminescence spectrum at room temperature exhibits a strong UV light emission band centered at 364 nm.     

ZnO/Zn2SnO4纳米电缆结构表征与发光特性

ZnO、Zn2SnO4均为直接带隙宽禁带氧化物半导体,是优异的功能材料.以ZnO、SnO2为原料,通过共热蒸发法,合成了ZnO/Zn2SnO4纳米电缆结构.该纳米电缆结构为以ZnO为芯,Zn2SnO4为鞘,直径为50~100nm,长度可达上百微米.通过TEM分析手段,发现该纳米电缆结构中,ZnO的生长方向为<0001>方向,ZnO芯与Zn2SnO4鞘之间形成晶格外延关系.室温下光致发光谱结果显示,该纳米电缆结构在紫外区域(380.58nm附近处)存在很强的带边发光,而在可见光区域没有明显的发光带,这一结果表明:Zn2SnO4鞘层的存在能有效抑制ZnO表面的缺陷发光.ZnO/Zn2SnO4纳米电缆结构可以抑制电子-空穴的复合,在染料敏化太阳能电池等方面有一定的应用潜力.     

Synthesis of Zn2SnO4 nanowires and their photoluminescence properties

Single-crystalline Zn2SnO4 nanowires were successfully synthesized on a photoresist-coated Si substrate using a facile chemical vapor deposition method. The growth of the nanowires followed a self-catalytic vapor-liquid-solid process. During annealing, the photoresist was carbonized into a complex glassy and graphite carbon structure. The immiscibility between the carbon layer and the in-situ formed Zn2SnO4 was a prime factor in the formation of the one-dimensional Zn2SnO4 nanowires. A broad blue-red emission band centered at 490.4 nm was observed in the photoluminescence spectrum of these nanowires, and it was related to the oxygen vacancies in these nanowires.     

Enhanced field-emission from SnO2:WO(2.72) nanowire heterostructures

The field-emission properties of SnO(2):WO(2.72) hierarchical nanowire heterostructure have been investigated. Nanoheterostructure consisting of SnO(2) nanowires as stem and WO(2.72) nanothorns as branches are synthesized in two steps by physical vapor deposition technique. Their field emission properties were recorded. A low turn-on field of ~0.82 V/μm (to draw an emission current density ~10 μA/cm(2)) is achieved along with stable emission for 4 h duration. The emission characteristic shows the SnO(2):WO(2.72) nanoheterostructures are extremely suitable for field-emission applications.     

Nanowires assembled SnO2 nanopolyhedrons with enhanced gas sensing properties

Self-assembly of one-dimensional nanoscale building blocks into functional 2-D or 3-D complex superstructures has stimulated a great deal of interest. We report the synthesis and characterization of nanopolyhedrons assembled from ultrathin SnO(2) nanowires based on the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-assisted hydrothermal process. As-synthesized SnO(2) nanopolyhedrons have uniform diameters around 300 nm and are self-assembled by numerous ultrathin SnO(2) nanowires with diameters of 5-10 nm. The growth mechanism was also studied by investigating the samples synthesized at different reaction time. Thin films of the assembled SnO(2) nanopolyhedrons were configured as high performance sensors to detect methanol, ethanol, and acetone, which exhibited 1 ppm sensitivity, very fast response and recovery times (several seconds for different gases with concentrations of 1-200 ppm) to all the target gases and highly selective detection to acetone.     

Optical studies of electrodeposited ZnCuTe ternary nanowire arrays

The optical properties of electrodeposited zinc copper telluride (ZnCuTe) ternary nanowires on ITO substrate using polycarbonate membrane (Whatman) of diameter 200,100 and 50?nm have been studied and reported in this paper. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the formation of the standing nanowires having uniform diameter equal to the diameter of the template used. UV–vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were used for optical studies. The optical band gaps of 200, 100 and 50?nm have been calculated as 3.19, 3.39 and 3.57?eV, respectively using UV–vis spectroscopy. The UV–visible absorption spectrometry reveals the absorption spectra of 200, 100 and 50?nm shows a blue shift. UV–visible absorption depicts that the band gap increases with decrease in the diameter size of the nanowires. Several broad emission lines have been observed over a wide wavelength range (390–690?nm) of visible light spectrum in the PL spectra of ZnCuTe nanowires of diameter 200, 100 and 50?nm. A good emission peak at around 615?nm has been observed in all nanowires.     

Selective synthesis and superconductivity of In-Sn intermetallic nanowires sheathed in carbon nanotubes

We demonstrate a simple and reproducible technique to synthesize crystalline and superconducting In-Sn intermetallic nanowires sheathed in carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The method is based on the catalytic reaction of C(2)H(2) over a mixture of both SnO(2) and In(2)O(3) particles. Importantly, tetragonal β-In(3)Sn and hexagonal γ-InSn(4) nanowires with diameters of less than 100?nm are selectively synthesized at different SnO(2) to In(2)O(3) weight ratios. CNTs may serve as cylindrical nanocontainers for continuous growth of liquid-phased In(1-x)Sn(x) nanowires during growth process as well as for their solidification into In-Sn intermetallic nanowires during the cooling process. Microscopic and spectroscopic analyses clearly reveal evidence of a core-shell structure of the CNT-sheathed In-Sn intermetallic nanowires. Magnetization measurements show that the superconducting In-Sn nanowires have a critical magnetic field higher than the value of their bulk intermetallic compounds. Our method can be adopted to the nanofabrication of analogous binary and ternary alloys.     

Controlling the growth and field emission properties of silicide nanowire arrays by direct silicification of Ni foil

Nickel silicide nanowire arrays have been achieved by the decomposition of SiH(4) on Ni foil at 650?°C. It is indicated that the nickel silicide nanowires consist of roots with diameter of about 100-200?nm and tips with diameter of about 10-50?nm. A Ni diffusion controlled mechanism is proposed to explain the formation of the nickel silicide nanowires. Field emission measurement shows that the turn-on field of the nickel silicide nanowire arrays is low, at about 3.7?V?μm(-1), and the field enhancement factor is as high as 4280, so the arrays have promising applications as?emitters.     

Sn doped GeO(2) nanowires with waveguiding behavior

Sn doped GeO(2) nanowires and microwires have been grown by an evaporation-deposition method, using a mixture of Ge and SnO(2) powders as precursors. Comparison with undoped GeO(2) nanowires grown by the same method shows that the presence of Sn prevents the formation of sharp bends, which makes the wires more suitable for waveguiding applications. Incorporation of about 0.5?at.% of Sn into the wires influences their morphology and gives rise to wires showing two different cross-sectional dimensions along the growth axis. Sn does not influence the luminescence spectra in the visible range but causes the appearance of emission bands in the near-infrared range. The waveguiding behavior of the Sn doped wires for green and red laser light has been demonstrated.     

常压条件下制备SnO_2纳米线及其光学性能研究

在常压条件下采用气相沉积方法制备出SnO_2纳米线,X射线衍射和Raman光谱结果均表明制备出来的产物为金红石结构.在样品的光致发光谱中观察到缺陷发光峰.研究还发现蒸发源及其放置时间在SnO_2纳米线的形成过程中起重要的作用.     

Non-linear optical properties of zinc oxide nanowires

High quality zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires were grown on n-type Si (100) using vapor-liquid-solid process. We obtained the photoluminescence spectra of ZnO nanowires based on nonlinear optical process using an ultrashort wavelength femtosecond laser as a pumping source. The spectra shows the second harmonic generation phenomenon, as well as the exciton-exciton collision peak at 388 nm and the green emission peak at 515 nm caused by oxygen vacancy. A laser emission peak near 392 nm was observed when pump intensity surpassed 52 mJ/cm2 and a sharp peak about 0.5 nm wide emerged when the energy intensity reached 700 mJ/cm2. We attribute this excitation process to a two-photon absorption process enhanced by Rabi oscillation.