WS2-decorated ZnO nanorods and enhanced ultraviolet emission

Abstract Enhancing the ultraviolet emission from ZnO nanostructures is of interest in the applications for fabricating ZnO-based short-wavelength light-emitting devices. We decorated the surfaces of hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods with WS2 by pulsed laser deposition and succeeded in enhancing the ultraviolet emission of ZnO. The WS2-decorated ZnO nanorods were characterized for morphology, structure and optical properties. Bare ZnO nanorods have a high capability of emitting ultraviolet excitonic emission. WS2 decorating resulted in the tailoring of the ultraviolet emission and an enhancement over 2 times was obtained for the ZnO nanorods covered with a thin WS2 coating. At low temperatures, more enhancement in the ultraviolet emission of ZnO can be achieved due to WS2 decorating.