Structural and Optical Properties of Polycrystalline ZnO Nanopowder Synthesized by Direct Precipitation Technique

Authors Suresh Kumar1,2, Divya Arora3, Anu Dhupar4, Vandana Sharma1, J.K. Sharma1, S.K. Sharma5, Anurag Gaur6
Affiliations

1Department of Physics, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana 133207, Haryana, India

2Department of Physics, Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Sadopur, Ambala 134007, Haryana, India

3Kimberley the International School, Samanwa, Hangola, Panchkula 134204, Haryana, India

4Department of Physics, Chandigarh University, Gharaun, Mohali 140413, Punjab, India

5School of ICT, Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida 201308, Uttar Pradesh, India

6Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra 136119, Haryana India

Е-mail sureshlakhanpal@gmail.com
Issue Volume 12, Year 2020, Number 4
Dates Received 27 April 2020; revised manuscript received 15 August 2020; published online 25 August 2020
Citation Suresh Kumar, Divya Arora, Anu Dhupar, et al., J. Nano- Electron. Phys. 12 No 4, 04027 (2020)
DOI https://doi.org/10.21272/jnep.12(4).04027
PACS Number(s) 78.66.Hf, 78.67.Bf, 61.05.cp, 82.80.Gk
Keywords ZnO (88) , Precipitation technique, XRD (90) , FE-SEM, FT-IR (5) , Optical properties (22) .
Annotation

ZnO nanopowder has been synthesized by direct precipitation technique at ambient conditions using zinc chloride and sodium hydroxide as primary precursors. The structural, morphological and optical properties of ZnO nanopowder have been examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field effect scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), FT-IR, and UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The XRD analysis shows that ZnO nanopowder is polycrystalline in nature and has a wurtzite structure. The synthesized nanopowder possesses single-phase crystallites which are highly oriented in (101) reflection plane. EDX analysis confirms the presence of lone Zn and O content in the nanopowder which is almost stoichiometric in the proportion. The surface morphology of ZnO nanopowder has been analyzed by FE-SEM and it was found that the excessive surface energy of the nanoparticles is responsible for the random orientation and agglomeration. The interaction of different functional groups during the synthesis has been identified from the FT-IR spectrum. The presence of distinct absorption peaks and bands at respected wavenumbers confirms the successful formation of ZnO from the different chemicals used in the synthesis. The optical bandgap has been estimated from the Kubelka-Munk plot by extrapolating the linear portion of the curve on the energy axis. The existence of the particles in the nanorange and a high optical bandgap value support the quantum confinement effect in ZnO nanopowder.

List of References