White photoluminescence from a grown ZnO nanorods/graphene hybrid nanostructure

The importance of the white photoluminescence (Pl) with multiple emissions for lighting applications also the attractive optoelectronic properties of graphene and nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO) are universally known. In this work we present an intense Uv visible blue to red luminescence obtained from our synthesized few layered graphene–zinc oxide (FLG–ZnO) based nanostructures prepared via a sol–gel method using ZnO precursors and a FLG solution. Significant blue–green, yellow–orange moreover, red emissions, from FLG–ZnO deposited on a normal glass substrate, generate a clear white luminescence by their recombination and across the entire visible spectrum. While, to investigate the nanostructure of this system, its interaction and the underlying mechanisms of the broadband photoluminescence, UV–VIS spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) system and photoluminescence spectroscopy (Pl) were used.

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► In this project we synthesized graphene-ZnO nanostructures via a hydrothermal process.
► This nanocomposite shows a clear white photoluminescence.
► We studied origins of this photoluminescence.
► We studied the structure and possible interactions between graphene sheets and ZnO nanorods.