Synthesis and morphological control of europium doped cadmium sulphide nanocrystals

Europium doped cadmium sulphide (Cd(0.98)Eu(0.2)S) nanostructures were synthesised by chemical co-precipitation method using ethylene glycol (EG) and deionized water (Eu:CdS-1), and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and deionized water (Eu:CdS-2) as mixed solvents. It has been found that the nanostructure of the europium doped CdS can be controlled by simply varying the mixed solvent system. Powder XRD pattern reveals the formation of hexagonal (wurtzite) and cubic (zinc blende) structure for Eu:CdS-1, and Eu:CdS-2, respectively. The crystallite size of the sample prepared using IPA and deionized water was measured to be 2.64 nm which is much smaller than that of the sample prepared using EG and deionized water as mixed solvent (3.65 nm). Morphology of the materials can also be changed from flower shaped crystals to paddy like structures by varying the mixed solvents. Band gap values of Eu3+ doped CdS nanocrystals synthesized from two different solvents were estimated using UV-reflectance spectra. The size and crystallinity of the samples were confirmed by HRTEM and SAED analysis. A significant change in the PL emission of the CdS nanocrystals was observed for the europium doped CdS which is mainly due to the presence of EU3+ ions which also play a significant role in the energy transfer process. It was also observed that the shift in the emission and efficiency depends on size and shape of the synthesised nanoparticles.