Synthesis and characterization of rare earth-doped zinc oxide nano structures

Pure and rare earth metal [cerium (Ce) and thorium (Th)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO)] nanostructures were prepared by solution combustion synthesis by making use of metal nitrates and glycine as precursors in alkaline medium. The average crystal size was examined using Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD) which showed sizes of 45 nm for pure ZnO sample,17.9 nm and 20 nm for Ce and Th-doped ZnO samples respectively. Accordingly, the synthesized samples were confirmed to be polycrystalline from High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (FESEM / EDX) confirmed the existence of the respective components in the synthesized samples. The Ultra Violet – Visible - Near Infra-Red (UV – Vis - NIR) Spectroscopy showed the characteristic absorption spectra of the samples. The surface topography of the prepared samples was