Synthesis and optical characterization of Zn1-xMgxS:Eu nanoparticles

Zn1-xMgxS : Eu3+ nanoparticles were synthesized by a facile co-precipitation technique with varying magnesium concentrations (0 <= x <= 0 : 20). X-ray diffraction results showed a mixture of cubic and hexagonal structures. There was an observed peak shift towards higher angles, decrease in peak intensities, disappearance of other peaks, and increase in diffraction peak broadening as Mg concentration increased. The estimated average particle sizes ranged from 2.0 nm to 8.79 nm. Scanning electron microscopy results showed smooth and uniform surface morphology. Energy dispersive X-ray studies indicated that the samples contained mainly Zn, S, and Eu because of the low detection limit for Mg. UV-Vis absorption spectrophotometer results showed a blue shift in energy due to quantum confinement as Mg concentration increased.