Effect of Electron Irradiation on the Optical Properties of Zinc Oxide Powder Modified with Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles

The effect of modifying ZnO powders with MgO nanoparticles (with a concentration of 0.1–10 wt %) on their diffuse reflectance spectra in the region of 0.2–2.5 μm before and after irradiation with 30 keV electrons was studied. Modification of ZnO powder was carried out by MgO nanopowder with a concentration from 0.1 to 10 wt % using a solid-state method at a heating temperature of 650°C. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that with this modification method there is no formation of additional phases. It was shown that zinc oxide structure symmetry belongs to the P 6₃mc space group; magnesium oxide, to the Fm–3m space group. The spectral reflectance of such powders in the visible region is over 90%. Under irradiation of original and modified ZnO powders, as well as the MgO nanopowder, by 30 keV electrons, a decrease in their reflectance is recorded in the entire studied region of the spectrum. It was established that modification with MgO nanoparticles at a concentration of 3 wt % leads to an increase in radiation resistance by a factor of 1.32 compared to unmodified samples. This effect is determined by the sink of radiation defects on the large specific surface area of nanoparticles.