Characterization of Mn-doped ZnO nanobelts by electron energy-loss spectroscopy

Mn-doped ZnO nanobelts have been synthesized via the vapor phase evaporation method, which exhibited ferromagnetism at room temperature. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy was used to investigate the chemical state of Mn dopants. It revealed that the Mn species had the chemical valence of +2. Meanwhile, the fine structures of the Mn L(23) edges indicated that the Mn dopant was located at the center of an oxygen octahedron but not an oxygen tetrahedron. This suggested that the Mn dopants did not substitute on the Zn sites as expected and sub-nanoscale MnO clusters had been formed in the synthesized ZnO nanobelts.