Fe-doped ZnO nanoparticles: Synthesis by a modified sol-gel method and characterization

In this work, Fe-doped and mixed ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized via a modified sol-gel method using water as unique solvent. The structural properties were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and the results showed the existence of wurtzite ZnO structure. The XRD results also indicate a phase segregation in the samples with more than 2 mol% of Fe. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra showed that Fe-doped ZnO exhibited a red-shift of the band-edge and a decrease in band gap energy, as compared to pure ZnO. The surface area increased significantly with the iron addition, and TEM analysis revealed hexagonal nanoparticles. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.