Journal of Applied Physical Science International

Bandgap-tunable semiconductor materials have wide application in optoelectronic devices. In this paper, we prepared high-quality compositionally tunable ternary alloyed Zn_xCd_1-xS semiconductor nanobelts by vapor transport method at high temperture with the reaction of a mixture ZnS and CdS micropowers as the precursors. The band gap of the Zn_xCd_1-xS nanobelts can be tuned from 2.4 to 3.6 eV by adjusting the composition ratio x in the vapor-phase-transport growth process. The morphology and structure of alloyed Zn_xCd_1-xS nanobelts was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). With the increasing of the Zn/Cd molar ratio, their photoluminescence (PL) spectra (bandgap) present clear blue-shift from 513 nm (2.4 eV) to 340 nm (3.6 eV). The results on the mechanism of the tunable bandgap properties will build a strong foundation for future application of Zn_xCd_1-xS materials.