Controlled Growth of ZnO Nanocrystals on the Surface of SiO₂ Spheres

The “islands” of ZnO nanocrystals on amorphous monodisperse 200 nm SiO2 spheres (core-shell particles) were obtained by simple one-step technique based on low-temperature crystallization from liquid phase. The influence of starting reagents types and concentration of zinc ions in the reaction mixture on the morphology of ZnO shells obtained was studied. Crystalline structure of ZnO nanocrystals obtained was proofed by the X-ray diffraction data. The average diameter of ZnO nanocrystals on SiO2 spheres is 10 nm according to X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) data. It was shown that SiO2/ZnO particles obtained have high luminescence characteristics. Photoluminescence spectra of core-shell SiO2/ZnO particles show two emission peaks centred at 386 nm and 570 nm. Core-shell SiO2/ZnO particles obtained are perspective for active photonic crystals creation for UV-spectral region.