Transmission electron microscopy study of pseudoperiodically twinned Zn2SnO4 nanowires

The ternary oxide functional nanomaterial Zn2SnO4 has been synthesized by the thermal evaporation method. The products in general contain numerous kinds of nanowires. In the present work, a remarkable type of Zn2SnO4 nanowires with a pseudoperiodical twinning structure has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These nanowires with a diameter of about 100 nm grow along the <111> direction. High-resolution TEM examinations suggest that a large fraction of the <111> twin boundaries are extended to a thickness of a few nanometers. The twining plane for the perfect case is localized on the Zn atom layer.