Sb-doped ZnO nanowires with kinking structures were synthesized by a catalyst-free thermal evaporation method with the addition of Sb2O3. Transmission electron microscopy observations revealed that the kinks of the nanowires were induced by twinning structures. {01•1}, {01•3} twins and heavy stacking faults in the (00•1) plane were observed in these kinked nanowires. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed that there exists an Sb-rich segregation layer in the twin boundaries of some nanowires. A formation mechanism of the kinked nanowires was proposed. The optical property of the synthesized nanowires was investigated by room-temperature photoluminescence.

Twinning-Induced Kinking of Sb-Doped ZnO Nanowires. S.Li, X.Zhang, L.Zhang, M.Gao: Nanotechnology, 2010, 21[43], 435602