Polymer-assistant hydrothermal synthesis of lead zirconate titanate nanorolls and their strong blue-light emission

Well-crystalline Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) nanorolls with typical wall thicknesses in the range of 300-900 nm and the length up to 10 μm have been synthesized by a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method at a low temperature of 190 °C. The “rolling mechanism” for the formation of PZT nanorolls was discussed. X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectrometry, and field emission scanning electron microscope demonstrated the PZT nanostructures and morphology. The photoluminescence measurements showed that a strong and narrow blue-light at 453 nm emits and a weak one at 470 nm at room temperature for the samples, indicating that PZT nanorolls have potential applications in nano-optical devices.