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Synthesis of Titanium-doped MgO heteronanostructures with tunable band gap

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Abstract

Ti x Mg1−x O heteronanostructures (x = 0.02 to 0.50) have been synthesized by a novel thermal decomposition route, and the effect of concentration of titanium and calcination temperature on optical properties of the heteronanostructures has been investigated. Phase analysis using powder X-ray diffraction demonstrates the formation of mixture of MgO and MgTiO3 when x = 0.02 to 0.20 and pure MgTiO3 when x = 0.33 to 0.50. Scanning electron microscopy studies show that the Ti x Mg1−x O samples with x = 0.02 to 0.20 consist of particles with a mixture of flower- and rod-like morphology, whereas the Ti x Mg1-x O samples with x = 0.33 to 0.50 possess rod-like morphology. Transmission electron microscopy studies show that the flowers are in turn formed by assembly of nanoparticles and the hollow rods are formed by aggregation of dumbbell-shaped nanoparticles. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopic studies show that band gap of the Ti x Mg1−x O heteronanostructures can be tuned from 3.2 to 4.2 eV by varying the concentration of titanium and the calcination temperature. Photoluminescence spectra show emission bands in visible and near-infrared regions due to defects present in the Ti x Mg1−x O heteronanostructures.

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Acknowledgments

P. J. gratefully acknowledges the financial support from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi (Project No. 01/(2726)13/EMR-II). The award of Research Fellowship to Ms. Urvashi Sharma by the University Grants Commission is gratefully acknowledged. The authors are thankful to the Institute Instrumentation Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, for providing the facilities. Thanks are also due to Dr. S. Murugavel, Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, for his help with the DRS measurements.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, India

    Urvashi Sharma & P. Jeevanandam

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  1. Urvashi Sharma
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  2. P. Jeevanandam
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Correspondence to P. Jeevanandam.

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Sharma, U., Jeevanandam, P. Synthesis of Titanium-doped MgO heteronanostructures with tunable band gap. J Nanopart Res 18, 83 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-016-3396-z

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