Abstract
The controlled synthesis of Cd0.9Zn0.1S, Cd0.89Zn0.1Cu0.01S and Cd0.87Zn0.1Cu0.03S nanostructures by simple chemical co-precipitation technique was reported. The XRD investigation confirmed the basic CdS cubic structure on Zn-doped CdS and also Zn, Cu dual doped CdS with no secondary/impurity related phases. No modification in cubic structure was detected during the addition of Zn/Cu into CdS. The reduction of crystallite size from 63 Å to 40 Å and the changes in lattice parameter confirmed the incorporation of Cu into Cd0.9Zn0.1S and generation of Cu related defects. The shift of absorption edge along upper wavelength region and elevated absorption intensity by Cu doping can be accredited to the collective consequence of quantization and the generation of defect associated states. The enhanced optical absorbance and the reduced energy gap recommended that Cd0.87Zn0.1Cu0.03S nanostructure is useful to enhance the efficiency of opto-electronic devices. The presence of Cd-S / Zn-Cd-S /Zn/Cu-Cd-S chemical bonding were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared investigation. The elevated green emissions by Cu incorporation was explained by decrease of crystallite size and creation of more defects. Zn, Cu dual doped CdS nanostructures are recognized as the possible and also efficient photo-catalyst for the removal dyes like methylene blue. The enhanced photo-catalytic behaviour of Zn, Cu dual doped CdS is the collective consequences of high density electron-hole pairs creation, enhanced absorbance in the visible wavelength, surface area enhancement, reduced energy gap and the formation of novel defect associated states. The stability measurement signified that Cu doped Cd0.9Zn0.1S exhibits superior dye removal ability and better stability even after 6 repetitive runs with limited photo-corrosion.
Synthesis and structural analysis of Ni0.45Cu0.55Mn2O4 by Williamson–Hall and size–strain plot methods
