Structural and Optical Properties of Undoped and Er³⁺-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized by Laser Ablation in Ethanol

Abstract

ABSTRACT. In this paper, we report on the fabrication and properties of undoped and 8.4% Er 3+ -doped ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by laser ablation in ethanol at laser fluence values 2.92 J/cm 2 . The synthesized nanoparticles are characterized by structural properties using X-ray diffractrometer, scanning electron microscope and the optical properties are carried out through UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The X-ray diffractrometer pattern indicates that these nanoparticle were polycrystalline in nature with a hexagonal (wurtzite) phase. SEM reveals that The synthesized ZnO and Er-ZnO NPs have a spherical shape. Moreover, the optical band gaps calculated through UV spectroscopy are found to be decreased with doping from 3.3 to 3.2 eV .