Investigation of Structural, Morphological and Optical Properties of Mg Modified SnO2 Nanoparticles.

Pure and magnesium modified SnO2 nanoparticles synthesized by using sol-gel method were studied for enhancement in emission properties. Pure and Mg modified SnO2 nanoparticles were analyzed by using X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), Photoluminescence spectra (PL) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). From the XRD analysis, the average crystallite size was found to decrease from 14 nm to 10 nm with the insertion of Mg2+ ions in SnO2 matrix. Agglomeration due to interaction of nanoparticles with the doping has been studied by using SEM analysis. Photoluminescence measurements performed at room temperature show peak in UV region as well as visible region. A significant increase in the PL intensity with the doping was observed in both the regions which might be due to presence of oxygen vacancies as surface defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]