OPTICAL, STRUCTURAL, AND MORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF UNDOPED AND EUROPIUM DOPED ZnO

Abstract

Undoped and europium doped ZnO films were electrodeposited from precursor solution on indium tin oxide (ITO) surfaces. Undoped ZnO nanorods were successfully obtained and grown under diffusion control perpendicularly ([Formula: see text] axis) on the ITO surface. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed a wurtzite structure with sizes of the hexagonal unit cell: [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Å [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Å. After insertion of Eu[Formula: see text] into the ZnO matrix, XRD analysis shows a shift of preferential peak to lower angles (2[Formula: see text] indicating that a dislocation occurs into the unit cell with modification of its parameters. The grain sizes of doped ZnO decrease with increasing Eu[Formula: see text] rate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show a clear change of morphological structure from nanorods to a nanosheet structure. Photoluminescence tests clearly showed an improvement in emission bands and the corresponding intensities are important in Eu[Formula: see text] doped ZnO.