Group III element-doped ZnO twinning nanostructures

Abstract

Two kinds of ZnO twinning nanostructures, three-edged nanobelts and hexagonal-disk strings, were successfully fabricated through a thermal evaporation method. The detailed microstructure and composition of the nanostructures were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. In spite of their differences in morphology, they have the same (0 113) and (01 11) twin boundaries. A {0 113} twin core is introduced to explain the formation of the twin boundaries. The differences in morphology may be caused by the changes of surface energy and supersaturation level induced by group III element doping.

Indium-doped ZnO nanowires with infrequent growth orientation, rough surfaces and low-density surface traps

“…Among these dopants, In is recognized as one of the most efficient elements used to tailor the optoelectronic properties of ZnO [7]. For example, In doping may induce structural defects such as stacking faults [8], twin boundaries [9], and superlattice structures [10], or result in weak localization and electron–electron interactions [11], which can significantly affect the electrical and photoluminescence (PL) properties of ZnO nanostructures. On the other hand, it is quite interesting that In doping can change the morphology of ZnO nanowires (NWs) [12].…”