Wet-Chemical Synthesis and Optical Property of ZnSe Nanowires by Ag₂Se-Catalyzed Growth Mechanism

Junli Wang, Hui Feng, Weiling Fan, Kangmin Chen, Qing Yang

Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at the Microscale & Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, Chi.
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
Scientific Research Academy and School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
Scientific Research Academy and School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at the Microscale & Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, China.

DOI: 10.4236/ampc.2013.36039                

Abstract

High-quality II-VI semiconductor ZnSe nanowires were facilely prepared in the oleic acid and oleylamine mixed solution at low temperatures of 130°C-200°C through an Ag2Se-catalyzed growth mechanism. Oleylamine served as an effective reducing agent and a surfactant in the synthesis. Many of the resultant nanowires were terminated by an Ag2Se catalyst particle at one of their ends, confirming that the nanowire growth followed a catalytic mechanism. The crystal structure of Ag2Se catalyst was examined, which exhibited a metastable tetragonal phase, not the common orthorhombic phase. Meanwhile, the optical properties of as-synthesized ZnSe nanowire solid powder were evaluated by the UV-Visible diffuse reflectance and photoluminescence spectroscopy and a significant blue shift was observed compared to the bulk ZnSe with a band gap of 2.7 eV. This work would provide an alternative and effective catalytic route for the preparation of one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures of ZnSe and other metal selenides.

Keywords

ZnSe; Nanowires; Catalytic Growth; Ag2Se Catalyst; Oleylamine

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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