Research on fabrication and optical properties of doped nano-ZnO microspheres

Abstract

Nano-ZnO microspheres with dopant (0.5%Y, 1%Y, 0.5%Ni, 1%Ni）were successfully prepared by hydrothermal method. The influences of these doping different elements and concentrating on the structure, morphology and optical property of nano-ZnO were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL) and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum (UV-Vis). The results show that the crystallinities of nano-ZnO decreased with the introduction of doped atoms, the morphologies of nano-ZnO changed from rod-shaped and spherical mixtures to granular and spherical mixtures, and the morphologies again became spherical ones with the increase of Y ions concentration. Moreover, nano-ZnO was obtained in rod-shaped and spherical mixtures with the increase of Ni ions concentration. The results of optical property indicated that the absorption spectra have a clear steep absorption edge at 384 nm, and nano-ZnO microspheres showed a strong ultraviolet emission peak in nearly 387 nm. These results suggested that nano-ZnO microspheres are promising optoelectronic materials to ultraviolet photoelectron devices.