Synthesis of ZnWO4@MWO4 (M = Mn, Fe) core-shell nanorods with optical and antiferromagnetic property by oriented attachment mechanism

Uniform core-shell heterostructured ZnWO4@MWO4 (M = Mn, Fe) nanorods with both optical and antiferromagnetic properties have been synthesized by a simple refluxing method under mild conditions in which the crystallization event of MWO4 happened on the backbone of ZnWO4 single crystalline nanorods in a ligand-free system. ZnWO4 nanorod-directed oriented aggregation mechanism has been clearly observed for the formation of heterostructured ZnWO4@MWO4 (M = Mn, Fe) nanorods. The shell thickness of MWO4 (M = Mn, Fe) could be tuned by changing the molar ratio of these raw materials. UV-visible absorption spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the as-prepared ZnWO4@MWO4 (M = Mn, Fe) core-shell nanorods show the similar "red-shift" trend, which can be ascribed to the influences of the out-layered shell. The ZnWO4@MWO4 (M = Mn, Fe) nanorods displayed both optical and antiferromagnetic properties. The result demonstrated that the multifunctional anisotropic nanostructures with a heteroshell could be synthesized directly based on the oriented attachment mechanism.