Morphological, structural, thermal and optical properties of Zn/Mg-doped TiO2 nanostructures for optoelectronic applications

Abstract

The advanced research of new optoelectronic materials opens avenues for improved energy devices. In the present research, the facile synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles and ZnO/Mg-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were carried out by sol–gel technique. The synthesized samples were characterized for morphological, structural, optical, and thermal properties. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) indicated that a distinct increase in the size of TiO2 nanoparticles due to ZnO/Mg-doping in the form of clusters. The crystalline nature of anatase TiO2 and doping of Mg and ZnO is corroborated by XRD patterns and Raman data. Moreover, ZnO and Mg doping affirm a clear shift in energy gap values confirmed by UV–Vis spectroscopic analysis and the surface plasmonic effects observed by photoluminescence analysis. TGA analysis indicates the remarkable results on the thermal stability of newly synthesized samples. It shows the maximum weight retention in the case of ZnO doped TiO2 nanostructures. Thus, these optimized materials can be recommended for future optoelectronic devices.