Structural, surface area and FTIR characterization of Zn0.95-xCu0.05 Fe0.0xO nanocomposites prepared via sol-gel method

Herewith, we report the successful preparation of Zn0.95-xCu0.05Fe0.0xO mesoporous composites using sol-gel method and their characterization using different techniques. Increasing the ratio of iron in the composites has considerably led to particles size reduction (22-18 nm) along with the increase in surface area (7-63 m(2)g(-1)) as respectively evidenced from the XRD and N-2 adsorption analysis. The effect of Fe doping on the Zn0.95Cu0.05O brought about an increment in micro-strain from 5.03 x 10(-3) to 6.33 x 10(-3) and a reduction in stress in accordance with the particle size minimization. The morphology of the nanocomposite exhibited a semispherical appearance that got distorted with the loading of more Fe. In addition, the great surface area observed indicates a high grain boundary surfaces. The formation and purity of the nanocomposite was confirmed by the shift in the Zn-O wavenumber as shown in the FTIR spectra.