Synthesis and luminescent properties of strong blue light-emitting Al2O3/ZnO nanocables

Abstract

Photoelectronic characteristics are investigated in well-aligned aluminum-coated ZnO nanorods (Al2O3/ZnO nanocables) grown on Si substrates buffered with ZnO film at a low temperature. Photoluminescence measurement indicates that a strong blue emission peak at similar to 450 nm appears at 400 and 600 degrees C in O-2 and N-2 atmospheres, respectively. A 30x enhancement of the relative intensity ratio of blue emission (I-B) to ultraviolet emission (I-UV) has been observed for the Al2O3/ZnO nanocables. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses reveal that the origin of the strong blue emission can be attributed to the structure transition and cleavage of the oxygen-hydrogen bond (OH) of the Al2O3/ZnO nanocable, which leads to the formation of singly ionized oxygen vacancies (Al-O-center dot). (C) 2008 The Electrochemical Society.