RETRACTED ARTICLE: Investigation of Co-Doped ZnO Nanowires by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Ab Initio Simulation

Abstract

The local structure of single room- and high-temperature Co-implanted ZnO nanowires with subsequent thermal annealing has been studied using hard-x-ray techniques in combination with ab initio Zn K-edge x-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) simulations. X-ray fluorescence data reveal a homogeneous distribution of Co atoms/ions with concentration of about 0.1 at.% to 0.3 at.% in the nanowires. XANES data indicate substitutional incorporation of Co2+ ions at Zn sites in both types of nanowire. Improved structural order around Co atoms is obtained in nanowires with high-temperature ion implantation followed by thermal annealing. The ab initio Zn K-edge simulations not only confirm recovery of implantation-induced damage in the ZnO host lattice by the thermal annealing process, but also assist in studying the effect of oxygen vacancies in the Zn K-edge XANES spectra. Microphotoluminescence data certify that high-temperature ion implantation with subsequent thermal annealing is an effective approach to achieve the strongest optical activation of Co ions and good energy transfer to Co ions from the ZnO host matrix.