Influences of Co doping on the structural, optical and magnetic properties of ZnO nanorods synthesized by hydrothermal route

• Published in: Solid state sciences Vol. 11; no. 8; pp. 1419 - 1422
• Main Authors: Wang, Baiqi, Xia, Chunhui, Iqbal, Javed, Tang, Naijun, Sun, Zengrong, Lv, Yan, Wu, Lina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Issy-les-Moulineaux Elsevier Masson SAS 01.08.2009; Elsevier Masson
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Co doping; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Ferromagnetism; Materials science; Methods of nanofabrication; Molecular electronics, nanoelectronics; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of bulk materials and thin films; Photoluminescence; Physics; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Solution method; ZnO nanorods; ZnO nanorods; Solution method; Co doping; Ferromagnetism; Photoluminescence; Doping; XRD; Defects; Surface structure; SQUID devices; Optical properties; Zinc oxide; Nanorod; Quantum well devices; Nanocrystal; Nanomaterial synthesis; Magnetic properties; Band structure; Vacancies; Crystallinity; Dispersive spectrometry; Preferred orientation; Ultraviolet radiation; Electronic structure; Transmission electron microscopy; Hydrothermal synthesis; Morphology; Microstructure; Arrays; Nanostructured materials; Codoping; Exchange interactions; X-ray photoelectron spectra
• ISSN: 1293-2558; 1873-3085
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2009.04.024

Pure and Co-doped ZnO nanorods have been synthesized by a hydrothermal process. The structure, morphology and properties of as-prepared samples have been studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) spectrometer as well as by superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The structure and morphology analyses show that Co doping can slightly impede the ZnO crystallinity, influence the nanorods morphology, but cannot change the preferred growth orientation of ZnO nanorods. The amount of Co doping contents is about 3.0 at% in ZnO nanorods and dopant Co 2+ ions substitute Zn 2+ ions sites in ZnO nanocrystal without forming any secondary phase. The optical measurements show that the Co doping can effectively tune energy band structure and enrich surface states in both UV and VL regions, which lead to novel PL properties of ZnO nanorods. In addition, ferromagnetic ordering of the as-synthesized Zn 1− x Co x O nanorod arrays has been observed at room temperature, which should be ascribed to sp–d and d–d carrier exchange interactions and presence of abundant defects and oxygen vacancies. [Display omitted]