Transmission electron microscopy investigation of Sb-doped ZnO nanoribbons and Zn7Sb2O12 branched ZnO nanoribbon structure

Sb-doped ZnO nanoribbons have been synthesized by simple thermal evaporation of powder mixtures of Zn and Sb2O3. The Sb-doped ZnO nanoribbons with hexagonal wurtzite structure have a growth direction of [01 (1) over bar0], widths of 100-300 nm, and lengths up to several hundreds of micrometers. The atomic ratio of Sb and Zn is about 1:40 by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy measurement. A stripe contrast is found in the center of the Sb-doped ZnO nanoribbon, which is speculated to be due to the enrichment of Sb in the center of the Sb-doped ZnO nanoribbon by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy line scanning element mapping. Furthermore, a novel Zn7Sb2O12 branched ZnO nanoribbon structure is investigated. The growth direction of the branch and the backbone are [2 (1) over bar1] and [01 (1) over bar0], respectively. The mechanisms of formation of such nanomaterials are also discussed.