title: Morphological control and photoluminescence of zinc oxide nanocrystals.
abstract: Nanocrystals of the wide band gap semiconductor zinc oxide of controllable morphologies were synthesized by a simple thermal decomposition method. The predominating factor in determining the morphology (spheres, triangular prisms, and rods) was the solvent, selected on the basis of coordinating power. The nanoparticles were structurally analyzed, and the photoluminescence of each shape was compared. The intensity of the green band emission, common to many ZnO structures, was found to vary with morphology. The strongest green band intensity corresponded to the shape with the largest surface/volume ratio and could be attributed to surface oxygen vacancies. Control over the morphology of ZnO at the nanoscale is presented as a means to control the green band emission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, and Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA.
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Andelman
authors.forename: Yinyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polking
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kuskovsky
authors.forename: Gertrude
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Neumark
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Brien