Structural and Photoluminescence Properties of Pr, Cu Co-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized by Chemical Co-Precipitation Method

At room temperature, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles co-doped with praseodymium (Pr) and copper (Cu) using a low-cost chemical co-precipitation method. As a capping agent, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used for synthesizing the nanosamples, and a pH of 9 was maintained. The synthesis of nanosamples was then characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and photoluminescence (PL). X-ray diffraction studies revealed the wurtzite hexagonal structure of ZnO, and no impurity peaks were found. The particle size obtained from XRD studies was 32 to 46 nm and is well supported by TEM. SEM micrographs demonstrated the surface morphology of the samples. With Cu dopant concentration, Pr-doped ZnO nanosamples exhibited enhanced luminescence properties.