Self-catalytic growth of CdS nanobelt and its Fabry–Perot lasing action

•CdS nanobelts were grown by the self-catalyst process using a vapor transport method.•Amplified spontaneous emission process was clearly demonstrated.•Fabry–Perot mode lasing was observed using the micro-photoluminescence technique.

CdS nanobelts were fabricated by a vapor transport method in the absence of a catalyst. The scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that the CdS nanobelts had regular morphology, smooth surface and single-crystalline structure. Under the excitation of 325 nm line of a femtosecond pulsed laser, the amplified spontaneous emission with the typical band narrowing process was observed. The Fabry–Perot mode lasing action in a single CdS nanobelt was observed by the confocal micro-photoluminescence technique. The result indicated that the CdS nanobelt can be used as ideal microlaser material in the future optoelectronic devices.