Fabrication of wurtzite ZnS nanobelts via simple thermal evaporation

Mass production of uniform wurtzite-ZnS nanobelts is achieved by a simple thermal evaporation method using Au as the catalyst. The as-synthesized ZnS nanobelts are single crystalline, usually several tens of microns in length and several hundreds of nanometers in width. Most of the nanobelts grow along [01 (1) over bar 0] direction. Stacking faults are commonly observed in these nanobelts. The room-temperature cathodoluminescence spectrum of such nanobelts reveals three peaks, which may be ascribed to surface states, defects, and impurity-induced emissions, and is consistent with the nanobelt microstructure. The growth mechanism of the nanobelts is discussed. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.