Effect of Dysprosium Doping on the Structural, Morphological and Optical Properties of ZnO Nanostructures
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66514/ssst34-1-60-74Keywords:
Zinc oxide; Dysprosium doping; Co-precipitation method; Photoluminescence; Optical bandgapAbstract
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a promising optoelectronic material, yet its performance is often constrained by high charge recombination rates and a fixed band gap. To address these limitations, dysprosium (Dy)-doped ZnO nanocrystals (0–18 mol%) were synthesized via a co-precipitation method to evaluate the structural and optical effects of rare-earth doping. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed a primary hexagonal wurtzite structure across all samples, with crystallite sizes ranging from 18 to 40 nm according to Scherrer formula calculations. Doped samples exhibited an additional diffraction peak at 2θ = 29° due to the formation of a monoclinic phase. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a transition from the smooth spherical morphology of undoped ZnO to larger, varied particle structures at higher doping levels. Photoluminescence (PL) analysis showed key emission bands at 419 nm, 457 nm and 483 nm with the 6 mol% Dy-doped sample achieving the highest emission intensity. Furthermore, UV-Vis spectroscopy demonstrated an optical band gap tunable between 3.14 and 2.89 eV. These findings demonstrate that 6 mol% Dy doping effectively enhances luminescent intensity and offers band gap control for ZnO-based optoelectronic devices.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Wan Aizuddin W Razali, Azhan Hashim, Muhammad Firdaus Othman, Nurliyana Rozan, Siti Nasuha Mohd Rafien, Hendrie Johann Muhamad Ridzwan, Syamsyir Akmal Senawi (Author)
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