Modulation of structural, morphological and electrical charge transport property of Cr-doped ZnO nanomaterials prepared by chemical process

The present work reports the synthesis of undoped ZnO and Cr-doped ZnO nanomaterials by co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods. Crystallographic information of Cr-doped ZnO nanomaterials has been estimated by Rietveld analysis using MAUD. UV-visible absorption measurement concludes the significant reduction of band gap energy and the presence of strong s-d, p-d spin-exchange interaction in all co-precipitated nanoparticles as compared to the hydrothermally prepared rod-like structures. The dielectric response study of undoped and Crdoped ZnO nanomaterials shows significant enhancement of the dielectric constant of the rod-like structures in comparison to the sphere-like nanoparticles. Impedance spectroscopy has been studied and the Nyquist plot or Cole-Cole plots of all the undoped and Cr-doped ZnO nanoparticles and nanorods have been constructed to understand the individual contributions of electrical responses of the grains and grain boundaries and the conducting nature of the nanomaterials.

Automated summary

This study reports the synthesis of undoped ZnO and Cr-doped ZnO nanomaterials using co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods. The properties of the nanomaterials were investigated, revealing a significant reduction in band gap energy and an increase in dielectric constant in the Cr-doped ZnO nanoparticles. Impedance spectroscopy provided insight into the electrical responses and conducting nature of the nanomaterials.