Effect of Calcination Temperature on the Structural and Optical Properties of (ZnO)0.8 (ZrO2)0.2 Nanoparticles

Calcination temperature has influenced the structural and optical features of nanocrystalline (ZnO)_0.8 (ZrO₂)_0.2 series. Indeed, at present, general research in the approach to synthesis of (ZnO)_0.8 (ZrO₂)_0.2 nanoparticles by combustion using zinc nitrate hexahydrate (Zn (NO₃)₂·6H₂O) and zirconium (11) nitrate pentahydrate (Zr (NO₃)₂·5H₂O) is still in its infancy. A Thermogravimetric (TG) assessment was performed to determine the precursor of the conduction. Characterizations such as energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–Visible, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were carried out. The crystallite size of the binary oxides (ZnO)_0.8 (ZrO₂)_0.2 on the maximum expansion of ZnO–ZrO₂ nanoparticle was studied using Scherrer’s equation. Due to calcination, significant modifications were observed in terms of the size of the particles, the absorption spectra, and the intensity of the photoluminescence. In the XRD result, an increment in crystallinity was observed from 10.20 nm to 28.00 nm while the FTIR findings showed the removal of the polymer as well as the presence of nanoparticles metals. The optical band gap results indicated a decline in energy band gap between (3.27 and 3.12) eV for (ZnO)_0.8 and (4.89–4.51) eV for (ZrO₂) _0.2 nanoparticles. A photoluminescence result showed two individual peaks at 655 nm (1.89 eV) and 715 nm (1.73 eV) respectively. The study also showed the application which can be a suitable choice to be used in solar cell applications.