Strong cathodoluminescence of AlN nanowires synthesized by aluminum and nitrogen

This study reports a direct synthesis of AlN nanowires via the reaction of aluminum powder and nitrogen gas at around 800 degrees C without catalyst. The as-prepared AlN nanowires were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The product consists of wurtzite AlN nanowires with diameter of tens of nanometer. The cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements show that the luminescence intensities of the as-prepared AlN nanowires are more than 5 times stronger than that of the commercial AlN powder, which is attributed to the nitrogen vacancies and oxygen-related defects in the nanowires. 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.