In situ synthesis of Mn-doped ZnO multileg nanostructures and Mn-related Raman vibration

Mn-doped ZnO multileg nanostructures were synthesized via in situ thermal oxidation of Zn and MnO2 powder. Spectroscopic measurements show that Mn ions have been doped into the lattice positions of Zn ions, which strongly induce growth of the observed ZnO multileg nanostructure. It is revealed that the growth mechanism of this kind of multileg ZnO:Mn nanostructure is different from the traditional vapor–solid or vapor–liquid–solid nucleation model of ZnO nanostructures. A possible mechanism is discussed on the basis of the growth process of a tetrapod ZnO nanostructure. Furthermore, we report the observation of an additional Raman peak. This peak is considered to have an origin related to Mn dopant in the ZnO nanostructure. This Raman feature can be regarded as an indicator for the incorporation of Mn ions into the lattice positions of the multileg ZnO nanostructure.