One-pot synthesis of ultranarrow single crystal ZnSe nanowires

Abstract

High-quality wurtzite-type ultranarrow single crystal ZnSe nanowires were synthesized via a one-pot, solution-based method for the first time. The as-prepared nanowires have diameters ranging from 1.0 nm to 3.5 nm and lengths up to 300 nm. The optical characterizations indicate that the as-synthesized ZnSe nanowires have a band gap of 3.31 eV, whose absorbance spectra are different from recent literatures. Both the quantum confinement and the vacancies of Zn in ZnSe or impurities were accounted for the phenomenon. The solvent employed in the synthesis is also playing a dominant role in the size and morphology control of the ZnSe nanowires. A reasonable mechanism was proposed to describe the function of solvent. The excellent properties of the ZnSe nanowires would render it a promising alternative functional material which might be widely used in short-wavelength lasers and other photoelectronic devices.