Grain size disposed structural, optical and polarization tuning in ZnO

Abstract

Structural, optical and polarization properties were investigated in different batches of ZnO synthesized by sol–gel method at varying sintering temperature. The structural visualization and charge scattering density analysis on the basis of X-ray diffraction data indicate polarized nature of sample. The structure- and polarization-related parameters were determined from Raman and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy data. Urbach energies and band gap were calculated using UV–visible spectroscopy. We observed increase in polarization, decrease in optical activity and band gap with increasing grain size without any increase in defects. Distortion in ZnO tetrahedra resulted in nonlinear optical behaviour above band edges. The results show direct correlation between grain size, band gap, optical behaviour and polarization. Low band gap and high polarization in ZnO can be employed for the production of opto-electronic devices.