Abstract
Degenerately Sn-doped In 2 O 3 (ITO) nanowires were synthesized via an Au-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) method at 750 °C. The Au seed layer provided sites with a high surface energy for the selected-area growth of ITO nanowires. Morphology and crystal structures confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to obtain the chemical compositions of the ITO nanowires as well as the ratio of Sn/In and oxygen concentrations. Under the photo-excitation the ITO nanowires emit ultraviolet light, which can be ascribed to transitions related to donor levels. Moreover, photoluminescence (PL) spectrophotometer and UV-VIS spectrum analysis revealed a blue shift peaks in the degenerately ITO nanowires. This phenomenon can be explained by Burstein-Moss effect. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.