Effect of Mg substitution on the structural and optical properties of ZnO by sol-gel method

This paper reports on the structural and optical properties of Mg doped ZnO nanoparticles through sol-gel method using polyvinyl alcohol as chelating agent. For studying the effect of Mg doping on particle size and morphology, the prepared samples were characterized by using X-ray diffractometer, and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM). The optical properties of the samples were investigated by UV-Vis spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The particles size was evaluated using Scherrer´s formula from XRD patterns. It was observed from XRD studies that the particles size decreased with increasing Mg concentrations. It is observed from FE-SEM microstructure that the grain size of the samples decreased with increasing Mg doping. The samples exhibited a blue shift in absorption in UV spectra indicating good optical properties.