We report the phenomenon that the intensity of the ultraviolet (UV) photoluminescence
(PL) from ZnO was greatly enhanced by incorporating ZnO into the SiO2
matrix. PL excitation results show that both the ZnO nanoparticles and the SiO2
matrix in the nanocomposites contribute to the luminescence process
for the UV band. On the basis of the x-ray photoelectron spectra, we
suggest that interface energy states are formed due to the presence
of Zn–O–Si bonds between ZnO nanoparticles and the SiO2
matrix. A tentative model concerning the contribution of the ZnO nanoparticles, SiO2 matrix, and ZnO–SiO2
interface is suggested to explain the PL enhancement effect.
Morphology-controlled zinc oxide (ZnO) structures, including micrometer-sized rods, nanorods, urchin-like structure, flowerlike structure, and fan-shaped structure, have been synthesized by a hydrothermal method without the use of a surfactant or an amine salt. The morphology control has been achieved by simply varying the solution pH value. The precursor used in the hydrothermal process was zinc carbonate hydroxide hydrate (Zn 4 CO 3 (OH) 6 . H 2 O). The solution pH value was varied through the addition of NaOH (aq) or HCl (aq) . The mechanisms for the formation of different morphologies are discussed. Despite the difference in the morphology, the resulting ZnO nanostructures all exhibit violet emission from 379.7 nm (3.27 eV) to 404.9 nm (3.06 eV), which suggests the application of the ZnO nanostructures in violet light-emitting diodes.
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