Investigations of structural, optical and electrical properties of Zn1-xPbxAl2O4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 2 mol %) ceramic powder

The Pb2+ doped ZnAl2O4 ceramic with different concentrations (0-2 mol %) has been prepared via the fast citrate sol-gel technique. Crystalline size of prepared samples was found in the range of 26-32 nm using XRD data. The X-ray pattern revealed that all samples are polycrystalline in nature with cubic phase and F (d3) over bar m space group. The preferred orientation and structure parameter of spinel ZnAl2O4 has been tailored significantly after doping Pb2+ ions. The FTIR technique was used to identify the characteristic functional group of the prepared spinel structure. The optical band gap of Zn1-xPbxAl2O4 (0 <= x <= 2 mol %) ceramic powder was found to increase from 3.65 eV to 4.36 eV with an increase in Pb2+ content. The prominent emission was observed in the violet-blue region (387 nm) after exciting the sample at 270 nm. The impedance data has been analyzed to explore the dielectric constant (k), dissipation loss factor (DF), and ac conductivity. The observed violet-blue emission and improved dielectric behavior endorse the potential applications of Zn1-xPbxAl2O4 (0 <= x <= 2 mol %) ceramic powder in UV sensors.