Controlled Co(II) Doping of Zinc Oxide Nanocrystals

Dopants are non-native atoms commonly used to modify the properties of bulk semiconductors. In this paper we demonstrate that by controlling the addition of cobalt(II) to growing zinc oxide nanocrystals (ZnO NCs) it is possible to modulate the resulting properties. We show that the environment of cobalt may be controlled by varying the synthetic conditions, mainly through varying the time of dopant-precursor addition and concentration. These conditions prove critical to the resulting Co(II) configuration, which affects both the luminescent and photocatalytic properties of the ZnO NCs. Presynthetic doping with 2% Co(II) results in a 98% quenching of the visible emission of ZnO, whereas the same quantity doped post synthesis results in only a 60% quenching. The environment of cobalt in the ZnO wurtzite lattice is identified through UV-vis spectroscopy. The wurtzite structure of the ZnO lattice for all nanocrystalline species is confirmed through X-ray diffraction patterns obtained from a synchrotron radiation source. Postsynthetically doped Co(II) in ZnO NC is demonstrated to have potential applications as an on-off sensor, as exemplified with nitric oxide.