Effects of Cobalt Doping on the Microstructure and Optical Properties of ZnAl2O4 Nanoparticles

Co-doped ZnAl₂O₄ nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal method. The samples were characterized by XRD, HRTEM, EDX, FT-IR, XPS, PL, and UV–Vis, and the effects of cobalt doping on the microstructure and optical property of the samples were studied. The experimental results showed that Co-doped ZnAl₂O₄ nanoparticles synthesized by this method are single phase with cubic crystal structure, no other impurity phases were observed. Furthermore, with increasing the Co²⁺ concentration, the average crystallite size of the Co-doped samples became smaller. The absorption bands in FT-IR spectra are broadened in the low frequency region, the PL spectra had the red-shift and the UV–Vis peaks intensity gradually enhanced.