Investigations on the Structural, Optical and Dielectric Properties of Ball-Milled ZnO-Fe2O3 Nanocomposites

In this study, ZnO-Fe2O3 nanocomposites were prepared by high-energy ball milling technique and characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV-visible spectroscopy and dielectric spectroscopy. The amount of Fe2O3 in the ZnO-Fe2O3 nanocomposites was varied at the rates of 1wt.%, 3wt.% and 5wt.% in order to investigate its influence on the structural, optical and dielectric properties of the nanocomposites. XRD patterns of nanocomposites revealed no shift in peak positions and hence confirmed the formation of composites after ball milling. Further, it was observed from FESEM analysis that Fe2O3 particles were distributed randomly on the ZnO matrix of the nanocomposites. ZnO-Fe2O3 nanocomposites reveal extended optical absorption in the range of 400-600nm from UV studies. The dielectric constant and loss of the nanocomposites decrease exponentially with increase in frequency. The composition and frequency dependences of the dielectric constant, dielectric loss and AC conductivity are explained based on the Maxwell-Wagner effect and Koop's theory.