Nickel doped ZnO nanoparticles as a novel photocatalytic and multiferroic semiconductor

Abstract

Structural analysis, spectroscopic studies and multiferroic properties of Zn1-xNixO (x = 0, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09, 0.12, 0.15) nanoparticles are reported here. Ni-doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized through a simple chemical growth route using hydroxyoxalate type materials. The hexagonal wurtzite structure of prepared compounds has been ascertained through X-ray diffraction. High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) reveals the particle size and lattice growth direction of the nanoparticles. The expected doping concentration of nickel was confirmed by Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The excitonic peaks observed from absorption spectra of the prepared nanoparticles exhibit blue shift for nickel doping. Ni-doped ZnO explore superior photocatalytic response and are controlled by three factors: band gap, crystallite size and surface defect. To be specific, 12 % Ni doping results in 7.8 times increase in the photocatalytic degradation efficiency. The samples exhibit characteristic P-E and M − H loops. The obtained remnant polarization for 9 % and 15 % Ni doping are 9 × 10−3 and 6 × 10−3 μC/cm2 respectively. The multiferroicity perceived in the synthesized Ni-doped ZnO nanoparticles with the ME coefficient at around 1.1mV/cm-Oe have important application potentiality in electromagnetic coupled devices.