Influence of dopant level on structural, optical and magnetic properties of Co-doped anatase TiO2 nanoparticles

Cobalt-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel method. The associated structural, optical, compositional and magnetic properties of the nanoparticles as a function of cobalt concentration have been systematically studied. The X-ray powder diffraction reveals that all samples have pure anatase phase tetragonal system and the lattice parameter analysis indicated that Co ions may substitute into the lattice of TiO2. The average particle size is 15 nm, when found through transmission electron microscope. Optical spectroscopy measurement showed that the bandgap value decreases upon increasing Co concentration. The magnetic measurements revealed that the enhanced room temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) strongly depends on the doping content. (C) 2010 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.