Structural and optical properties of rare earth doped Zn2SnO4 nano-composites prepared via Sol-gel synthesis

Abstract Doped with different rare earth elements (Dy 3+ , Sm 3+ , Yb 2+ , Eu 3+ and Gd 2+ ), Zn 2 SnO 4 nano-structures were synthesized using sol-gel method. Dopants were introduced in the prepared samples at concentrations 2 mol%. X-Rays Diffraction (XRD) results checked the crystallographic nature of the prepared materials. Using Scherrer’s equation, the particles sizes were calculated and found to be almost 24 nm. The chemical bond types were identified through the Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The dopants effect on the absorbance spectra was explored via the UV-Visible spectroscopy. The energy band gap ( E opt ) of Zn 2 SnO 4 decreased (from 3.89 eV to 2.80 eV) with dopants addition for direct transitions and was in the range of 3.93 to 2.25 eV for indirect transitions. Similarly, Urbach energies (E U ) were found within the range 0.70–0.42 eV. The effect results of the suggested dopants at those concentrations on the structure and optical properties of Zn 2 SnO 4 could be considered to be utilized in the correct form in the industrial applications.