Effect of Ni-doping on the structural, optical and magnetic properties of ZnO nanoparticles by solvothermal method

In this paper, the effect of nickel doping on structural, optical and magnetic properties of ZnO: Ni particles synthesized by solvothermal route using microwave oven is investigated. XRD, SEM with EDAX, TEM and FTIR spectroscopy studies confirm the existence of single phase hexagonal wurtzite structure. UV-Vis spectroscopy shows a shift in band edge towards lower energy. PL spectroscopy measurements illustrate UV emission centered at 390 nm and red emission at 626 nm due to the near-band-edge (NBE) emission and defect related emission of ZnO respectively. VSM studies reveal that the super exchange interaction between the neighboring Ni2+ with Ni2+ ions is responsible for room temperature ferromagnetic behavior in our samples. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.