ZnMgO nanorod arrays grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

ZnMgO nanorod arrays were synthesized by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition using diethylzinc and magnesium nitrate as the precursors. No additional oxidant gas source such as O2 or N2O was used. The ZnMgO nanorods were homogeneous in composition and uniform in diameter. The blueshift of near-band-edge PL emission could be readily identified as compared with undoped ZnO nanostructures, indicating the band-gap engineering in the ZnO nanoscale system. The growth process was investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The possible growth mechanism was proposed. It is believed that this growth process may facilitate the homogenous distribution of Mg in the ZnMgO nanorods.