Influence of Mn doping on optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by microwave irradiation

In this study, manganese [Mn]-doped zinc oxide [ZnO] nanoparticles are prepared by microwave irradiation method using zinc acetate and manganese acetate as precursors. The optical properties of the samples were investigated by UV-Vis-NIR, photoluminescence (PL) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Optical absorption analysis of the samples exhibits a red shift in the absorption band edge with increasing dopant concentration, and corresponding defects in ZnO are responsible for broad bands in the visible part of the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. The room-temperature photoluminescence shows that the intensity of near band energy (NBE) emission depends strongly on the content of Mn in ZnO. We have also discussed in the paper the types of transitions and possible assignments of the PL bands. The chemical groups of the samples were confirmed by FTIR spectra.