Optical properties of zigzag twinned geometry of Zn2SnO4 nanowires

High-density single-crystalline Zn2SnO4 nanowires have been successfully synthesized by using a simple thermal evaporation method by heating a mixture of ZnO and SnO2 nano powders. The products in general contain various geometries of wires, with an average diameter of 80-100 nm. These nanowires are ultra-long, up to 100 microns. The transmission electron microscopy study showed that these nanowires exhibited zigzag twinned geometry, and grow along the (111) direction. Low-temperature photoluminescence properties of the nanowires were measured, showing a strong green emission band at about 515 nm and a weak peak corresponding to UV emission at about 378 nm, which have not been reported before.