Via a simple bottom-up approach, a complex quaternary oxynitride system (Zn1.7GeN1.8O) was prepared in the form of small nanoparticles (d ∼ 15 nm), which were stable and morphologically well-defined. The Zn1.7GeN1.8O nanoparticles exhibited a band gap of 2.4 eV and were active towards photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes.
