Self-catalytic formation and characterization of Zn2SnO4 nanowires

Mass production of transparent semiconducting ternary oxide Zn2SnO4 nanowires is successfully synthesized by the thermal evaporation method without any catalyst. The as-synthesized products are characterized with field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SEAD). A formation of Zn2SnO4 nanowires based on a self-catalytic VLS growth mechanism is discussed. The photoluminescence spectrum (PL) of the nanowires shows a broad blue-green emission around the 300–600 nm wavelengths with a maximum center at 580 nm under room temperature.