Stabilization of mixed valencies in Cu, Zn-based oxides

ABSTRACTCu and Zn-based oxides have been developed for the last decades because of their remarkable electronic properties and their relevant UV-Visible-NIR absorption properties. Cu in oxides can adopt various oxidation states (+I, +II, +III) stabilized in various environments (h, Td, D4h, C4v, D2h, Oh). Divalent copper cations can occupy Td or Oh sites in zinc aluminate spinel network. Solid state routes lead to homogeneous phases with Zn1−xCuxAl2O4 compositions. Depending on the inversion rate in the spinel matrix, various absorption bands have been identified in the UV-Visible-CNIR spectrum. The synthesis of the zinc-aluminate spinel solid solution Zn1−xCuxAl2O4 by an esterification route led to monocrystalline nanosized oxides. Two intense absorption bands at 300 and 500 nm can be attributed to charge transfer phenomena between oxygen and Cu2+ cations in tetrahedral and octahedral coordinations. Two other less intense absorption bands centred at 800 nm and 1500 nm are also appearing when the copper rate in the spinel increases but their relative intensity are not in good agreement with those observed in the case of the solid-state synthesis. In the case of the esterification route, the absorption band at 800 nm is much more intense than in the case of the solid-state synthesis. It can only be explained either by a deviation to the centrosymmetric character of octahedral sites or by the occurence of a non negligible amount of monovalent copper cations which give electronic transitions in this energy range. A magnetic study correlated to EPR measurements confirms the occurence of a mixed valence state for copper cations in the solid solution Zn1−xCuxAl2O4. EPR spectra at T=4K show for the small concentration of Cu2+ (x<0.10) a strong anisotropic signal due to the presence of Cu2+ ions in a distorted octahedral symmetry (gx=2.07, gy= 2.15 gz=2.23). Moreover the hyperfine structure, identified on EPR spectra tend to disappear as the compounds are annealed under air because the content of paramagnetic centers Cu2+ (3d9) as well as their interactions become significant. Furthermore, the color changes drastically with the Cu+ (3d10) content. Finally the structural features and UV-Visible-NIR absorption properties of copper-zinc aluminates will be discussed and compared to Cu-doped ZnO.