Transform process study of amorphous ZnO/nanocrystalline ZnO

The transforming process of amorphous ZnO/nanocrystalline ZnO was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. XRD and TEM indicate that the amorphous ZnO gradually transformed to nanocrystalline ZnO and the nanocrystalline ZnO from ~2.3nm to ~21nm were prepared following the increase of reaction temperature. Ultraviolet (UV) PL illuminates there is an obvious quantum size effect in the samples. Visible PL is different with previous reports. Research indicates the interface between amorphous ZnO and nanocrystalline ZnO is the reason of visible emission. The results presented herein can enrich amorphous and crystalline semiconductor theory and explore the application of amorphous ZnO and nanocrystalline ZnO.