Synthesis and characterization of ZnSe hollow nanospheres via a hydrothermal route

ZnSe hollow nanospheres have been hydrothermally synthesized at 140 degrees C for 24 h starting from the precursor ZnCl2(N2H4)(2) and Na2SeO3 by using hydrazine hydrate (N2H4-H2O) as the reducing agent. The sample was characterized by XRD, ICP-AES, FE-SEM, and TEM. The BET surface area of the obtained ZnSe hollow nanospheres is 77.13 m(2) g(-1). Both the transverse optic (TO) and longitudinal optic (LO) phonon peaks in Raman spectra of the ZnSe product showed a obvious shift to lower frequency compared to bulk values; a blue-shift (similar to 10 nm) was observed in PL spectra. It appears that the hollow spheres might be formed by a soft-template of gas bubbles of N-2 produced during the reaction.