A low-temperature synthesis of ultraviolet-light-emitting ZnO nanotubes and tubular whiskers

摘要

We have successfully synthesized single-crystal ZnO nanotubes and tubular whiskers by employing Zn(NO3)(2) center dot 6H(2)O, NH3 center dot H2O as the starting materials in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG, M-w = 2000) at ambient pressure and low temperature (70 degrees C). Characterizations are carried out by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM, HRTEM) and photoluminescence (PL) measurement, The results show that the as-prepared ZnO are tubular textures, which have average cross-sectional dimensions of 200-300 nm, lengths of 2-3.5 mu m, and wall thickness of 80 nm. These tubular products demonstrate a sharp ultraviolet excitonic emission peak centered at 385 nm at room temperature. A possible growth mechanism and the influence of the reaction temperature on the formation of crystalline ZnO are presented. (C) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.