Abstract
In this work, pure SnO2 nanowires and Sb-doped SnO2 1-D nanostructures have been synthesized by thermal evaporation. Some of the nanostructures grown on Al2O3 substrates showed beak-like structures at tips. The pure SnO2 nanostructures were successfully synthesized and had appearance of long beak-like nanowires and short beak-like nanowires. We fabricated Sb-doped SnO2 nanowires, Sb-doped SnO2 with needle-like beak nanorods and Sb-doped SnO2 nanobelts with thermal evaporation by using pure tin (Sn) and antimony (Sb) powders under oxygen atmosphere. The morphology of nanostructures was analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The d-spacing and grown directions of nanowires were identified by high resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected-area electron diffraction analysis (HRTEM & SAD). The structures and components were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).Furthermore, we have also studied about the Cathodoluminescence (CL) property of the pure SnO2 and the Sb-doped SnO2 1-D nanostructures. The CL spectra of Sb-doped SnO2 nanowires showed only one peak centered at 480 nm, while the CL spectra of the pure SnO2 nanowires showed two broad bands centered at 480 nm and 600 nm with very strong intensity. We believed the emission peak at 600 nm was contributed by oxygen vacancy which was generated with the growth of nanowires.