Shape controllable synthesis of ZnCdS 1-D nanostructures formed on ITO/glass by using the co-evaporation method

Self-assembled, one dimensional (1-D) Zn_1−xCd_xS nanostructures with a Cd composition of x = 0.11 have been successfully fabricated on indium-tin-oxide/glass substrates by using a co-evaporation method in the absence of any catalyst. The structures and the morphologies of these nanostructures were studied using X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that the Cd ions occupied the Zn sites in the ZnCdS nanowire. The fabricated ZnCdS nanostructures exhibited various shapes, such as hexagonal nanorods (H-NRs), cylindrical nanorods (C-NRs), nanoneedles (NNs), nanowires (NWs) and nanodumbbells (NDs), for different substrate temperatures. Increasing the substrate temperature resulted in the formation of nanostructures with smaller diameters. The shape-controllable growth of ZnCdS 1-D nanostructures might result in the development of a high-efficiency nano-solar cell.