A Comparative Study of the Optical Properties of ZnO: NiO NPs Synthesized by Plasma Jet and Pulsed Laser Ablation

Optical Properties of ZnO: NiO Nano-Composites

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the optical characteristics of ZnO:NiO nanocomposites  synthesized using two distinct methods; plasma jet to synthesize nanoparticles and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) for thin films formation. SEM micrographs demonstrated distinct samples structures; the films made with a pulsed laser had a more homogeneous and regular surface while the irregular and clustered nanoparticles produced by the plasma jet were observed. All of these differences had an impact on optical characteristics. Specifically, for the plasma jet technique, changing the post-reaction gas flow from 0.5 to 2.5 L/min decreased the energy gap from 5.09 eV to 4.52 eV; for the PLD technique, increasing the laser energy from 700 to 1000 mJ decreased the energy gap from 3.9 eV to 3.11 eV. The results highlight that the conditions of its fabrication play a significant role in tuning the electronic and optical properties of the material. Hence, ZnO:NiO can be regarded as a prospective material for optical and electronic applications.