RESUMO
Pristine and nitrogen (N) doped zinc oxide (ZnNxO1-x, x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, and 0.02) nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully synthesized using chemical co-precipitation approach. The formation of pure crystalline wurtzite ZnO phase without any second phase during N-doping was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of N-doped ZnO samples. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analysis ensured the effective inclusion of nitrogen into ZnO matrix. The morphological analysis revealed the formation of nanorods as a result of N-doping. The optical band gap calculated from UV-vis spectroscopy was observed to decrease up to 1 mol.% N doping followed by a subtle increase. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra revealed that electron-hole recombination was the least for 1 mol.% N doped ZnO NPs. ZnN0.01O0.99 NPs showed superior photocatalytic activity among all samples due to rod-shaped NPs and reduced electron-hole recombination, which was accessed by the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB).
RESUMO
Undoped and Fe-doped CuO thin films with different weight ratios (3, 6, and 9 wt.% of Fe) were deposited onto glass substrates using the sol-gel spin coating technique. X-ray diffraction analysis of these samples indicated that all the films were polycrystalline, and crystallite size decreased with doping concentration. As revealed by scanning electron microscopy, Fe doping increased average particle size and improved size distribution in films. The bandgap of undoped CuO thin film was tuned from 3.48 to 2.79 by the addition of 9 wt.% Fe, and reasonable explanations have been presented. Optical parameters, such as refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric constant, and optical conductivity, were calculated for optoelectronic applications. Finally, antimicrobial properties were measured for their possibility to be used as disinfectants, and the antifungal activity of Fe-doped CuO thin films was shown to be more effective.
