Si-CdSSe core/shell nanowires with continuously tunable light emission

Uniform Si-CdSSe core/shell nanowires were controllably synthesized by a multisource thermal evaporation route. Both the silicon core and the alloyed CdSSe shell are of high-quality and single crystalline. The silicon core is grown via the gold-catalyzed VLS route with a silicon wafer piece at the high temperature zone as the source. These preferentially grown Si nanowires further serve as templates for the afterward depositions of CdSSe shells using CdS/CdSe powders at the low temperature zone of the furnace as sources. The composition/band gap of the shells can be continuously modulated by the S/Se ratio of the evaporation sources, making these prepared heterostructures have strong and spectral position/color largely tunable light emission at the visible region. These kind of structures may have potential applications in multicolor nanoscaled light-emitting devices. This flexible growth route will also be applicable for controllable synthesis of other Si wire containing heterostructures.