Structural, Optical and Room Temperature Electrical Properties of Thermal Decomposition-Synthesized Co-Doped Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

In this paper, the impact on the structural, optical, morphological, and electrical properties of Zn1-xCoxO, x=0.0, 0.02 and 0.04 nanoparticles (NPs) was investigated. Zn1-xCoxO, x=0.0, 0.02, and 0.04 were synthesized by the thermal decomposition technique. XRD confirmed Zn1-xCoxO to be hexagonal wurtzite with varying x, which represented a good incorporation of dopant ions in the ZnO lattice. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed the surface morphology of prepared ZnO NPs shaped as quasi-spherical. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) provided the compositional information of prepared NPs having concentrations of Zn, Co, and O in the prepared NPs. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra confirm the contents of the sample, their purity, and their molecular structure. The bandgap of the NPs decreases from 3.25eV to 3.14eV with an increase of x from 0.0 to 0.04. The dielectric constant decreases with x, while the AC electrical conductivity increases with applied frequency. Recently, doped ZnO NPs have been used for the preparation of dyes, which are used for the formation of highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC).