Structural characterization and optical properties of perovskite ZnZrO 3 nanoparticles

Perovskite ZnZrO3 nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal method, and their microstructures and optical properties were characterized. The crystallinity, phase formation, morphology and composition of the as-synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), high-resolutiontransmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy analysis, respectively. TEM images demonstrated that the average particle size of the ZnZrO3 powders was increased with increasing the Zn/Zr molar ratios in the precursors, and more large ZnZrO3 particles with cubic morphology were observed at high Zn/Zr molar ratios. In addition, the phase structures of the ZnZrO3 particles were also evolved from a cubic to tetragonal perovskite phase, as revealed by XRD and SAED patterns. HRTEM images demonstrate that surface structures of the ZnZrO3 powders synthesized at high Zn/Zr molar ratios, are composed of corners bound by the {100} mini-facets, and the surface steps lying on the {100} planes are frequently observed, whereas the (101) facet isoccasionally observed. The formation of such a rough surface structure is understood from the periodic bond chain theory. Quantitative EDX analyses demonstrated that the atomic concentrations (at.%) of Zn:Zr:O in the particles were 20.70:21.07:58.23, as close to the composition of ZnZrO3. In the optical spectra, a significant red shift of the absorption edges (for the ZnZrO3 nanopowders) from UV to visible region (from 394 to 417 nm) was observed as increasing the Zn/Zr molar ratios in the precursors, which corresponds to that the band gap energies of the ZnZrO3 nanopowders can be continuously tuned from 3.15 to 2.97 eV. This opens an easy way to tune the band gap energies of the ZnZrO3 nanopowders. © 2014 The American Ceramic Society.