Abstract
In this work, microemulsion method has been followed to synthesize vanadium-doped Zn1−xVxO (with x = 0.0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, and 0.10) nanoparticles. The prepared samples are characterized by several techniques to investigate the structural, morphology, electronic, functional bonding, and optical properties. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis confirms the wurtzite phase of the undoped and V-doped ZnO nanoparticles. Variation in the lattice parameters ensures the incorporation of vanadium in the lattice of ZnO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that by increasing contents of V ions, the average particle size increases gradually. X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) at the V L3,2 edge, oxygen K-edge, and Zn L3,2 edge reveals the presence and effect of vanadium contents in the Zn host lattice. Furthermore, the existence of chemical bonding and functional groups are also asserted by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). UV–Visible analysis shows that by increasing V+ contents, a reduction up to 2.92 eV in the energy band gap is observed, which is probably due to an increase in the free electron concentration and change in the lattice parameters.
Highlights
ZnO is the most prominent and promising semiconductor of the direct band-gap family having a wide band gap of 3.37 eV
The Burstein–Moss effect is the process through which the absorption edge is pushed to higher energies, and states near the conduction band become more populated, so the apparent band gap of a semiconductor is increased
V-doped ZnO nanocrystalline samples were successfully synthesized through the microemulsion
Summary
ZnO is the most prominent and promising semiconductor of the direct band-gap family having a wide band gap of 3.37 eV. In the last few years, diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMSs) from groups III–V and II–VI attracted very intensive attention on account of their physicochemical properties. The origin of magnetism is mostly due to the incorporation of 3d transition metal ions (such as Mn, Sc, Co, Ni, Cu, Cr, Fe, and Ti) and ions with partially filled f states such as rare earth elements (e.g., Eu, Er, and Gd). These ions are being substituted by the host semiconductor cations. This is a low-temperature synthesis technique, which yields a good level of homogeneity in the prepared samples
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