X-ray diffraction profile analysis of green synthesized ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles

Abstract

ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared through a plant-extract mediated hydrothermal synthesis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study confirmed the crystalline nature and the phase characteristic of the obtained nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction profile analysis models such as Williamson–Hall analysis, size-strain plot and Rietveld analysis were further used in evaluating the microstructural parameters of the obtained materials. The calculated particle size for all the models was in great agreement, with values in the range of 55.46–87.6 nm recorded for ZnO, while for TiO2, the crystallite size was in the range of 33.82–41.9 nm. The calculated crystal microstrain varied based on the model, while the stress in the ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles was evaluated at 3.8 and 13.7 MPa, respectively. Furthermore, TiO2 nanoparticles had a higher energy density of 8.96 × 10–8 KJ m−3 compared to 7.12 × 10–8 KJ m−3 obtained for ZnO.