In situ enhancement of NBE emission of Au–ZnO composite nanowires by SPR

Enhancement of near-band edge of Au–ZnO composite nanowires was studied by in situ observation of photoluminescence. All the experiments were conducted on the same individual nanowires. This procedure eliminates the possible influence of the amount of the products collected by the micro spectrometer and uneven PL property behaviors at different parts. The enhancement ratio of the Au–ZnO composite nanowires is as large as ~92. Based on in situ PL experiments, an enhancement mechanism is investigated. This will be very useful for the creation of highly efficient solid-state emitters.