Simple Preparation as well as Structural, Microstructural and Optical Properties of Cu Doped ZnO Nanostructures

In this study, the nanostructures of Zn1-xCuxO with x=0.000, 0.025, 0.050 and 0.075 were successfully synthesized by sol-gel auto combustion method using glycine as a fuel. The prepared powders were calcined at 300 °C. The effect of Cu doping on structural and optical properties of powders was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-vis) and photoluminescence (PL). The XRD patterns showed all samples have wurtzite structure. There is an extra peak belong to CuO at 2θ=38˚ in the XRD pattern of the sample with x=0.075. The average crystal size of the prepared powders is about 29-47 nm. The SEM micrographs revealed that all doped nanostructures have Leaf-like structure with the thickness about 15-20 nm. Absorption spectra showed a red shift and decrease in the band gap in the Zn1-xCuxO system. The PL spectra showed that the maximum Emission wavelength increases with dopant concentration.