Synthesis and characterization of rare earth-doped zinc oxide nano structures

Abstract

Pure and rare earth metal [cerium (Ce) and thorium (Th)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO)] nanostructures were prepared by solution combustion synthesis by making use of metal nitrates and glycine as precursors in alkaline medium. The average crystal size was examined using Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD) which showed sizes of 45 nm for pure ZnO sample,17.9 nm and 20 nm for Ce and Th-doped ZnO samples respectively. Accordingly, the synthesized samples were confirmed to be polycrystalline from High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (FESEM / EDX) confirmed the existence of the respective components in the synthesized samples. The Ultra Violet – Visible - Near Infra-Red (UV – Vis - NIR) Spectroscopy showed the characteristic absorption spectra of the samples. The surface topography of the prepared samples was studied by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). To further confirm the chemical composition and binding energy, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was employed.