X-Ray Luminescence of ZnO Tetrapods Grown in the Presence of Copper and Gold Admixtures in Initial Charge

We investigated the morphology and luminescent properties of ZnO tetrapod powders with copper and gold admixtures, obtained by carbothermal pyrolysis. A broad band in the region of 450–650 nm dominates in the X-ray luminescence spectrum of the samples. There is also a weak edge luminescence band with a maximum at 391 nm. Kinetic measurements showed the presence of both fast (~1 ns) and slow (~850 ns) luminescence components, and the fast component, as a rule, did not exceed 1% of the integrated intensity. The used doping method does not result in the incorporation of copper and gold admixtures into the ZnO lattice. The presence of copper at a concentration of up to 9% does not affect the morphology or luminescence properties of ZnO tetrapods, while gold has such an effect even at a concentration close to 1%.