Luminescence Properties of Nano Zinc Oxide Doped with Al(III) Ions Obtained in Microwave-Assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis

Abstract

The hydrothermal method of obtaining nano zinc oxide doped with different contents of aluminum ions (III) was presented and discussed in this paper. Aqueous solution of Zn(NO3)2*6H2O and Al(NO3)3*9H2O salts mixture were used as the synthesis precursor. In order to reduce the process time all reactions were performed in a microwave reactor. The influence of process parameters and the content of impurity ions on the properties of synthesized nano zinc oxide were analyzed. In addition to zinc oxide doped with Al(III) ions, an additional spinel phase (ZnAl2O4) was obtained. The luminescent properties of nano zinc oxide as a function of the dopant ions were also discussed. Based on the luminescence measurements results, it was found that the luminescence intensity decreases with the increasing dopant content. The obtained materials are aimed to be implemented as luminescent materials in optoelectronic and sensors.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Using Different Chemical Reaction Stimulation Methods and Their Influence on Process Kinetics

“…In the electronics industry, ZnONPs are used to produce semiconductors [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ], varistors [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ], sensors [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ] and transistors [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Due to the wide energy gap, 3.37 eV zinc oxide is used as a luminescent material in optoelectronics [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Application of superfine (nanometric) ZnONPs and thin films in the production of coatings for UV protective glasses and polymer coatings have been in use for a long time [ 31 , 32 , 33 ].…”