Ferromagnetic Ni-doped ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by a chemical precursor method

Jeevan Jadhav, Mahesh Patange and Somnath Biswas
Department of Physics, The LNM Institute of Information Technology, Jaipur-302031, Rajasthan, India.

Carbon – Science and Technology 5/2 (2013) 269 – 274.
Advanced (Non-Carbon) Materials Section

© Applied Science Innovations Private Limited, India.

Full Text (OPEN ACCESS) : CST-71.pdf

Keywords: Doped ZnO, Ni-doped ZnO, Ferromagnetic nanoparticles, chemical method, characterization, magnetic property, doping

Abstract: A simple chemical synthesis method of pristine ZnO and Ni-doped ZnO (Ni_xZn_1-xO; x = 0.01-0.05) nanoparticles is reported. Structural and morphological properties of the synthesized nanoparticles have been studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Average crystallite size calculated from XRD peak widths using Debye Scherrer’s formula comes out to be 12 nm, 8 nm and 10 nm in pristine ZnO, Ni_0.01Zn_0.99O, and Ni_0.05Zn_0.95O samples, respectively. HRTEM images clearly show high crystalline order in the derived nanoparticles with particle size of 15- 18 nm, which are in good agreement with the XRD results. Magnetic measurements reveal that the incorporation of Ni²⁺ cations into the ZnO lattice results in induced room-temperature ferromagnetism in the otherwise non-magnetic ZnO.