Investigation on the Effect of Cu and Mg Concentration on the Optical and Structural Properties of Doped and Co-doped ZnO Nanoparticles

In this work, Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles in pure, doped and concurrently co-doped with magnesium and copper were synthesized via simple co-precipitation method. The optical properties and morphology of the products were studied. Results from ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy showed absorption at 378 nm which proved the formation of pure ZnO and further blue and red shifts occurred in UV absorbance depending on the type of the dopant and its concentration. UV-Vis data also showed a good tailoring of the band gap from 2.87 to 3.56 eV depending upon the dopant. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the formation of ZnO in all samples with a wurtzite hexagonal structure. The results from field emission scanning electron microscopy confirmed the average size of all particles to be 60 nm with a flake-shaped form. Fourier-transform infrared spectra further verified the presence of different functional groups and formation of ZnO in all samples. This study confirmed that ZnO accompanied by some impurities is a great option for optoelectronic applications such as UV photo-absorbers in the UVA range.