Cu-doped ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by simple co-precipitation route

Cu-doped zinc oxide (CuxZn(1-x) O, x = 0-3%) nanoparticles were synthesized using the simple direct co-precipitation method with Zn(CH3COO)(2) (.) H2O, Cu(CH3COO)(2) and polyvinylenepyroliden (PVP) as raw materials. Structure, size distribution and morphology of the Cu-doped ZnO nanoparticles were studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The optical and photoluminescence photospectroscopy were utilized to analyze the crystal defects of the ZnO nanoparticles. Cu addition does not change the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO nanoparticles. The mean particle size is around 10 nm. The 0.01% Cu concentration causes maximal photoluminescence. The bandgap of ZnO nanoparticles was obtained around 3.93eV due to quantum size effects.