ZnO and ZnS composited tri-crystal nanoribbons

ZnO and ZnS composited tri-crystal nanoribbons were fabricated by one-step thermal evaporation of ZnS and CuO powders. The tri-crystal nanoribbons have typical length of about 10 μm and width of 100-300 nm. The tri-crystal nanoribbon was composed of three intersected nanoribbons by 120°, which had a thickness of 50 nm with a growth direction along [10-10]. The rough nanoribbon contained several grains and the averaged elemental enrichment of Zn:O:S was 1:0.72:0.28. The tri-crystal nanoribbons exhibited three emission peaks at room temperature, which are associated to band gap and defect emissions of ZnO and ZnS. This 3D composited nanocrystal has potential applications in optoelectronics and energy-harvesting devices. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.