Structural characterization of Zn3N2 nanowires prepared by nitridation technique

This paper reports that Zn3N2 nanowires of high quality can be synthesized by the nitridation reaction of Zn powders with a flowing NH3 gas in 500 ml/min at the nitridation temperature of 600 deg C for 120 min. Surveys by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicate that Zn3N2 nanowires has a cubic structure with lattice constants a=9.788 A. Observations by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) show that Zn3N2 is of nanowire structure.