Tunable emission properties of star-shaped ZnO-ZnS-SiO2 composites synthesized by ultrasound-assisted Stöber method

• Published in: Applied physics. A, Materials science & processing Vol. 129; no. 9
• Main Authors: Félix-Domínguez, F., Carrillo-Torres, R. C., Sánchez-Zeferino, R., Álvarez-Ramos, M. E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-09-2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Applied physics; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chromaticity; Composite materials; Condensed Matter Physics; Diffraction patterns; Emission analysis; Machines; Manufacturing; Materials science; Nanotechnology; Optical and Electronic Materials; Particulate composites; Pattern analysis; Photoluminescence; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Processes; Silicon dioxide; Surfaces and Interfaces; Synthesis; Thin Films; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonic testing; White light; Wurtzite; Zinc oxide; Zinc sulfide; Zincblende; Zinc sulfide; Zinc oxide; White light emission; Composite; Tunable photoluminescence
• ISSN: 0947-8396; 1432-0630
• DOI: 10.1007/s00339-023-06895-5

ZnO-ZnS-SiO
2
composites were synthesized by an ultrasound-assisted Stöber method. The incorporation of blue-emitting ZnS on the surface of ZnO particles allowed the fabrication of a composite material with tunable emission. SEM pictures revealed star-shaped ZnO structures with a size about of 1 µm in length with multiple spindles. The composition of the materials was confirmed by EDS, FT-IR, and Raman spectroscopies. X-ray diffraction pattern analysis revealed that ZnO and ZnS have hexagonal wurtzite and cubic sphalerite crystal structures, respectively. The estimated band gap values of ZnS, ZnO, as well as the composites were 3.61, 3.13 and 3.21 eV, respectively. The emission spectrum of star-shaped ZnO exhibits a weak excitonic signal and a second intense and broad band centered around 620 nm. Photoluminescence analysis of the composites revealed a very broad emission band covering almost entirely the visible region of the spectrum and whose emission color ranges from orange to blue region of the CIE1931 chromaticity space, as the content of ZnS in the composite increases. Moreover, this tuning of the luminescence allows the generation of white light.