Structure, morphology, optical and magnetic response of ZnO, Mn3O4 and doped Zn0.5Mn0.5O nanoparticles as-synthesized using a chemical co-precipitation method

• Published in: Semiconductor science and technology 2016-02, Vol.31 (3)
• Main Authors: Varshney, Dinesh, Dwivedi, Sonam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: magnetic properties; semiconductors; x-ray diffraction; ZnO nanoparticle
• ISSN: 0268-1242; 1361-6641
• DOI: 10.1088/0268-1242/31/3/035017

Nano-polycrystalline samples of pristine and Mn-doped ZnO were synthesized using the feasible chemical co-precipitation method to investigate structural, vibrational and magnetic properties. From the x-ray diffraction pattern, ZnO was indexed and fitted in a single-phase wurtzite structure (hexagonal phase, P63mc). The simulation of Mn3O4 was performed according to the initial parameter of tetragonal symmetry (I41/amd space group). For the Zn0.5Mn0.5O sample, fitting was undertaken with both P63mc and I41/amd structural models, and showed that the diffraction profile is a result of the superposition of both spectral contributions. The average grain size obtained for different compositions of ZnO, Mn3O4, and Zn0.5Mn0.5O are 84.79, 72.26 and 68.24 nm, respectively. The optical band gap was obtained as 3.41 and 4.17 eV for the ZnO and Zn0.5Mn0.5O samples, respectively. The Raman spectrum of Zn0.5Mn0.5O also verified a mixed behaviour of ZnO and Mn3O4 lattice vibration and presents two broad bands around 657 and 537 cm−1. Room temperature magnetization-magnetic (M-H) field measurements showed the diamagnetic nature of ZnO, and the paramagnetic behaviour of Mn3O4, and Zn0.5Mn0.5O nanocrystalline samples.