A study of surface defects in Tb doped ZnO nanoparticles for gas sensing applications

Abstract

New goals for providing better solutions with the help of nanotechnology have emerged from the electronics industry. Nano-electronics has focused on the structural, optical, magnetic, and photoluminescence properties of nanomaterials for developing optoelectronic devices. These properties play a vital role at the nanoscale level in comparison to that of bulk compounds. The use of semiconductor materials has always been in demand. Here, we are focusing on the unique and distinct structural and optical properties of rare earth-doped ZnO nanostructures. Nanoparticles of ZnO doped with Terbium ion was prepared by sol gel method. Systematic structural studies on Tb 3+ ion doped ZnO nanocrystals were carried out using X-ray diffraction, High resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and EPR study. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy and EPR studies spectroscopy measurements were also performed on these nanoparticles to observe the surface property alteration done by rare earth incorporation. It was observed that by incorporation of Tb 3+ ions, the broad band luminescence has enhanced which could be exploited for the fabrication of display devices of required luminescence. The EPR study shows that the type of surface defects changes for different concentration of Tb doped in the ZnO nanoparticles.