Photoluminescence Properties of ZnO Nanowires Grown on Ni Substrate

Photoluminescence studies of zinc oxide nanowires produced by a carbo-thermal method on a nickel foil substrate are reported. Two types of as-grown samples: the first - containing only buffer film, and the second containing both zinc oxide nanowires and buffer film grown in the same technological process, were investigated by means of the temperature-dependent photoluminescence. X-ray diffraction measurements of buffer film show that it is polycrystalline and is composed from wurtzite-type ZnO (main phase) and includes minority phases: rock salt type (Ni,Zn)O and hexagonal C3N4. The shape of the apparently monocrystalline nanowires is characterized by hexagonal section matching with the expectations of the hexagonal ZnO structure. The presence of LO-phonon replicas in photoluminescence spectra for the second sample is used as an argument for confirmation that ZnO nanowires are single crystalline. The method of growth of ZnO nanowires on nickel oxide opens perspectives to produce Zn1-xNixO diluted magnetic semiconductor nanowires.