Synthesis of Ga-riched zinc gallate nanowires by reactive evaporation and the cathodoluminescence properties of individual nanowires

A facile Au-catalytic reactive evaporation method was developed to synthesize cubic zinc gallate (ZnGa2O4) nanowires through the reaction of Ga2O3 film and ZnO vapor at high temperature. The ZnGa2O4 nanowires are well crystalline and the length is up to tens of micrometers. The growth process follows typical vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism. All the cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra of individual nanowires reveal a strong, broad and asymmetric blue emission band centered at ca. 460 nm. It is thought that the excess Ga3+ is the main reason for the unusual blue emission properties.