Ce-induced single-crystalline hierarchical zinc oxide nanobrushes

High-density hierarchical brush-like nanostructures of Ce-doped ZnO are first synthesized by a two-step approach (sol-gel and chemical vapor deposition). This novel structure, called nanobrush, is a new member in the family of hexagonal crystal ZnO nanostructures, which is composed of two parts: a micron-sized prism-like base and nano-sized vertical nanorod arrays. The nanobrush is enclosed by the (0001) and {01 (1) over bar0} facets and grows towards the [0001] direction. Room-temperature photoluminescence (RTPL) spectra show a weak UV emission but a strong broad green emission. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.