Novel Type-II Zn3P2/ZnO Core/Shell Nanowires: Synthesis, Characteristic, and Photoluminescence Properties

Novel type-II Zn3P2/ZnO core/shell nanowires were synthesized for the first time. First, Zn3P2 nanowires with high yield were synthesized via a catalyst-free chemical vapor deposition method. Then, a facile low-cost surface oxidization process was used to obtain the ZnO nanocrystalline shells. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and high-angle angular darkfield scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) were used to characterize the morphologies, crystal structures, and element composition of the as-fabricated core/shell nanowires. Room-temperature photoluminescence properties of them were studied. A possible growth mechanism was proposed. The heterostructure fabrication approach developed here may be extended to other functional heterostructure material systems. The experimental results together with the energy band analysis demonstrated that the type-II Zn3P2/ZnO core/shell nanowire heterostructures have substantial potential for future photovoltaic nanodevice applications.