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.