Structural and dielectric properties of Al-doped ZnO nanostructures

Pure and 2 mol% Aluminium (Al) doped ZnO nanostructures were prepared by a simple and low cost wet chemical precipitation technique. Structure and morphology of the prepared samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). UV–visible spectrometry and band gap calculations confirmed the presence of structural defects in the samples. A significant enhancement in dielectric constant resulted from the incorporation of Al in ZnO lattice while an opposite trend was observed for dielectric lost. In addition, the electrical conductivity of Al-doped ZnO samples increased in comparison with that of pure ZnO due to the increase of available charge carriers after replacement of Zn ions by Al ions.