Er doped ZnO nanoplates: Synthesis, optical and dielectric properties

We report on synthesis of rare earth Er doped ZnO nanoplates via low cost wet precipitation method. The effect of varying Er doping concentration in the range from 3, 5 to 7 wt% on structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnO nanoplates has been successfully investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies show hexagonal wurtzite phase structure of prepared Er doped ZnO nanoplates. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals the growth of nanoplates like structures of the prepared samples. Further, the presence of Er ions doping in ZnO matrix has been confirmed by EDS measurement. A sharp and strong peak at around 435 cm−1 was observed in Raman spectra of nanoplates which correspond to the high frequency branch of the E2 mode of ZnO. The frequency dependence of dielectric constant (εr), dielectric loss (tan δ) and AC conductivity of ZnO nanoplates of different Er doping concentration were measured. The dielectric properties of pure and Er doped ZnO nanoplates follow a behavior based on Maxwell–Weigner model. The AC conductivity was found to decrease with Er doping.