Chromium-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized by Co-Precipitation: Chromium Effects

Abstract

The influence of chromium doping on the physical properties of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized using a low temperature co-precipitation technique is presented. In particular, we have studied the correlation between the structural and the magnetic properties as a function of chromium concentrations. In order to investigate the magnetic properties, vibrating sample magnetometry and electron spin resonance were employed. X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used. X-ray diffraction patterns of all the samples showed peaks consistent with a hexagonal wurzite structure. The structure and composition analyses revealed that chromium is incorporated into the lattice structure, forming a solid solution instead of precipitates. All of the samples in this study exhibit ferromagnetic behavior. The implications of the effects of chromium are also discussed.