Sb doped SnO2 (SnO2:Sb) nanowires (NWs) were synthesized by thermal evaporation at 900 degrees C. Thin-film X-ray diffraction showed that assynthesized nanowites were a single-phase rutile structure. Field emission scanning microscopy revealed that the nanowires had diameters of 80-120 nm and lengths of up to several hundreds microns long. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), and an energy-filtering system were employed to map two-dimensional element concentration. HRTEM images further confirmed that the crystallinity of the nanowires was accompanied by crystal defects with lattice distortion as Sb was incorporated into a SnO2 nanowire. Cathodoluminescence (CL) spectrophotometer analysis has revealed blue and green emission peaks in both SnO2:Sb and pure SnO2 nanowires. The electron field emission values of the SnO2:Sb and SnO2 nanowires in the turn-on Fields were estimated as similar to 4.9 and 6.5 V/mu m, respectively; the current density was 1 mu A/cm(2). (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.