Structural, morphological and photoluminescence characteristics of Cd0.9-xZn0.1S quantum dots: E ffect of Fe2+ ion

The Fe2+ incorporated Cd0.9-XZn0.1S QDs were synthesized via co-precipitation route. XRD phase analysis showed that the formation of the cubic zinc blende structure of all Cd0.9-XZn0.1FeXS QDs with varying the Fe2+ concentration (where x= 0, 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05). The average crystallite size was calculated and it found to be within the range of 2-3 nm. SEM pictures showed the spherical shaped QDs that are arranged in cloud form. The absorption intensity received from the UV-vis study was enhanced for the increase of Fe2+ composition and showed a blue shift from that of Cd0.9-XZn0.1S QDs. A wide band gap was exhibited by the addition of Fe2+ and it reaches the maximum as 4 eV. The Cd0.9-XZn0.1FeXS QDs showed a blue shift in Photoluminescence spectra (PL) to be due to the replacement of Cd2+ with smaller Fe2+. PL spectra were recorded for an excitation wavelength of 380 nm (NBE) and 650 nm (DLE). A wide range of band gap tailoring through tuning of crystallite size opens an opportunity to use in the optoelectronic device, labeling and imaging applications.