Structural characterization of manganese-substituted nanocrystalline zinc oxide using small-angle neutron scattering and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy

A series of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles, substituted with manganese di-oxide, have been synthesized through a modified ceramic route using urea as a fuel. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies indicate that the sizes of the ZnO particles are of nanometer dimension. Particles remain as single phase when the doping concentration is below 15 mol%. Small-angle neutron scattering indicates fractal-like agglomerates of these nanoparticles in powder form. The size distributions of the particles have been estimated from scattering experiments as well as microscopy studies. The average particle size estimated from small-angle scattering experiments was found to be somewhat more than that obtained from X-ray diffraction or electron microscopy measurement.