Structural, ferromagnetic, and optical properties of Fe and Al co-doped ZnO diluted magnetic semiconductor nanoparticles synthesized under high magnetic field

Abstract

In this study, 2% Fe and 3% Al co-doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using a hydrothermal method under high magnetic field (HMF). The influences of HMF on the structural, optical, and ferromagnetic properties of Fe and Al co-doped ZnO nanoparticles were characterized and analyzed. The single-phase wurtzite structure of the synthesized samples was confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and Raman spectroscopy analysis. The application of HMF decreases the particle size of the spherical nanocrystal as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Optical analysis indicated that the absorption edge shifted towards a higher wavelength (red shift). The nanoparticles synthesized under the HMF exhibited high room temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) performance because of the high oxygen vacancy (VO) content as revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which was in agreement with the prediction of the bound magnetic polarons theory.