Facile fabrication of ZnO:S/ZnO hetero-nanostructures and their electronic structure investigation by electron energy loss spectroscopy

Abstract

Asymmetric ZnO:S/ZnO hetero-nanostructures with well-defined morphology were synthesized by a one-step gas phase condensation process. The as-synthesized products were systematically characterized by transmission electron microscopy. Based on observations, a growth mechanism of the complicated hetero-nanostructures is suggested. The facile synthetic route to prepare these ZnO:S/ZnO hetero-nanostructures offers a possibility to satisfy the special needs of optoelectronic applications. The electronic structures of the hetero-nanostructures were investigated by electron energy loss spectroscopy. Both the common features and the differences between the pure ZnO and S-doped ZnO sections are discussed. These features might provide a new test routine for sulfur implantation and might be useful generally in the control, manipulation, transfer, and harvesting of UV light for ZnO.