Synthesis and cathodoluminescence of In2O3–SnO2 nanowires heterostructures

Novel In2O3–SnO2 heterostructured nanowires composed of In2O3 nanoparticles and SnO2 nanowires were fabricated via a facile thermal evaporation method. The well crystalline SnO2 nanowires with average length of 10 μm are first formed, and the In2O3 overlayers composed of nanoparticles then are grown on the surface of the SnO2 nanowires to form the novel In2O3–SnO2 heterostuctures. The In2O3 nuclei form in an anisotropic manner during the formation process, which results in the In2O3–SnO2 heterostuctures. All the cathodoluminescence spectra of individual nanowires reveal a strong and broad orange emission band centered at ca. 621 nm. It is thought that the integration of the oxygen vacancies of In2O3 and SnO2 is the main reason for the unusual nanowires.

Research highlights▶ Novel In2O3-SnO2 heterostructured nanowires composed of In2O3 nanoparticles and SnO2 nanowires were fabricated via a facile thermal evaporation method. ▶ The In2O3 nuclei form in an anisotropic manner during the formation process, which results in the In2O3-SnO2 heterostuctures. ▶ The unusual orange emission centered at ca. 621 nm is attributed to the integration of the oxygen vacancies-related emission of In2O3 and SnO2.