Optical, electrical and structural properties of iron doped zinc oxide nanostructures

• Published in: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics Vol. 35; no. 17; p. 1159
• Main Authors: Al-Sawalmih, Ali, Al-Bataineh, Qais M., Abu-Zurayk, Rund, Tavares, Carlos J., Etzkorn, Johannes, Foadian, Farzad, Telfah, Ahmad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-06-2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Crystallinity; Crystallites; Doping; Electrical properties; Electrical resistivity; Iron; Materials Science; Nanostructure; Optical and Electronic Materials; Optical properties; Sol-gel processes; Wurtzite; Zinc oxide; Zinc oxides
• ISSN: 0957-4522; 1573-482X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10854-024-12826-8

The effect of iron (Fe) doping on the optical, electrical and structural properties of zinc oxide nanostructures (ZnO NSs) is investigated in this study. Fe/ZnO NSs were synthesized using a sol–gel and hydrothermal technigue with Fe concentrations of 0, 5, 10, and 20 wt.%. From X-ray diffraction experiments, the undoped ZnO NSs exhibits a hexagonal Wurtzite structure with average crystallite sizes ranging from 50–70 nm and a crystallinity degree of 80%. A decrease in the crystallinity of the nanostructure is observed upon Fe doping, along with a reduction in the average crystallite size. The morphology of the particles is transformed from discrete particles into uniform rods for larger Fe doping (20 wt.%) into the ZnO NSs. Additionally, increasing Fe concentration in ZnO NSs results in increased surface hydrophilicity. Furthermore, increasing Fe concentration in Fe/ZnO NSs leads to a continuous decrease in the bandgap values from 3.21 to 2.84 eV and an increase in electrical conductivity from 58.5 to 71.4 μS/cm. These findings demonstrate the significant influence of Fe doping on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of ZnO NSs.