Zn_2GeO_4/SnO_2 nanowire heterostructures driven by plateau-rayleigh instability
| Autor: | James E. Nunn, Pedro Hidalgo, Bianchi Méndez, Jaime Dolado, Steve A. Hindsmarsh, Kate L. Renforth, Ana M. Sanchez |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | E-Prints Complutense. Archivo Institucional de la UCM instname E-Prints Complutense: Archivo Institucional de la UCM Universidad Complutense de Madrid |
| Popis: | Herein, we report the formation of a particular core-shell structure, with a zinc germanate (Zn_2GeO_4) nanowire core and a discontinuous shell of SnO_2 nanocrystals, obtained in a single-step process. We propose a growth model that combines the Plateau-Rayleigh mechanism to produce a pattern of amorphous germanium oxide (a-GeO_2) particles along the Zn_2GeO_4 nanowire and the subsequent growth of well-faceted SnO_2 crystals when the nanowire orientation meets good lattice matching conditions. In this latter case, the linear array of a-GeO_2 particles acts as nucleation sites for the SnO_2 crystallites, leading to a skewer-like morphology that retains the periodicity of the Plateau-Rayleigh process. Otherwise, nanowires with different orientations appear decorated with a pattern of a-GeO_2 beads mimicking a necklace. Atomic resolution electron microscopy has been used to characterize the Zn_2GeO_4/SnO_2 nanoheterostructures. In addition, optical confinement effects have been observed in the luminescence maps and spectra, which have potential for further exploitation in the design of optical microcavities. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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