Photoluminescence properties of Sn-embedded MgO nanorods with different morphologies synthesized by a single thermal evaporation process

The Sn-embedded MgO 1D nanostructures with different Sn core morphologies depending on the substrate temperature were synthesized by a single thermal evaporation process without a subsequent annealing process. The morphology of the Sn core exhibited the following changes with increasing temperature: from a continuous line to a peapod-like chain via a discrete line. The as-synthesized MgO nanorods showed an emission band at ∼610 nm in the orange region, whereas the Sn–MgO composite nanorods grown at 600–900 °C showed an emission band at ∼490 nm in the blue region. The emission intensity tended to increase rapidly with increasing substrate temperature. The intensity of emission from the Sn-peapodded nanorods grown at 900 °C was more than six times higher than that of the Sn-core/MgO-shell nanorods with a continuous linear shaped-Sn core grown at 600 °C. On the other hand, the enhanced blue emission from the Sn-peapodded nanorods originated from the enhanced crystallinity of the MgO nanorods rather than from the surface plasmon resonance of Sn-peapods in the nanorods.

Graphical abstractThe Sn-embedded MgO 1D nanostructures with different Sn core morphologies depending on the substrate temperature were synthesized by a single thermal evaporation process without a subsequent annealing process. The morphology of the Sn core changed from a continuous line to a peapod-like chain via a discrete line with increasing temperature. The as-synthesized Sn nanorods showed an emission band at ∼610 nm in the orange region, whereas the Sn–MgO composite nanorods grown at 600–900 °C showed an emission band at ∼490 nm in the blue region. The emission intensity tended to increase rapidly with increasing substrate temperature..Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► The Sn-embedded MgO nanorods were synthesized by a single thermal evaporation process. ► The morphology of the Sn core strongly depended on the substrate temperature. ► The emission intensity tended to increase with increasing substrate temperature. ► The Sn-peapodded nanorods grown at 900 °C showed the highest PL emission intensity.