Ni Doped Zn3P2 Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Structural, Optical, and Magnetic Properties

Dilute magnetic semiconductor nanoparticles of zinc phosphide (Zn3-xNixP2), doped with nickel, were synthesized using a solid-state reaction method. The doping levels of nickel were varied at x = 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, and 0.07. The study investigated the influence of varying nickel dopant concentrations on the structural, optical, and magnetic characteristics of the synthesized materials. Based on the XRD investigation, it is evident that the generated samples have a tetragonal structure, with no discernible presence of additional nickel or any other contaminants in the diffraction peaks. The lattice parameters exhibited a positive correlation with the Ni content, indicating that an increase in Ni concentration led to an increase in lattice parameters. SEM pictures provided empirical evidence supporting the notion that the dimensions of the nanoparticles exhibited a positive correlation with the extent of dopant incorporation. EDS examination indicates that the concentration of dopants closely approximates the desired atomic ratio. The optical band gap of the Zn3-xNixP2 nanoparticles exhibited a rise in value, namely from 1.410 to 1.433 eV, as the quantity of nickel was increased. The study revealed that photoluminescence emission peaks were consistently seen at nearly identical places, despite variations in excitation wavelengths. Additionally, it was noted that the strength of the emission peaks exhibited slight fluctuations, which were more pronounced as the concentration of the dopant rose. The study of the VSM data demonstrates a positive correlation between saturation magnetization and the Ni content, indicating that an increase in the Ni concentration leads to an increase in saturation magnetization.