Influence of Na addition on physical, electrochemical and biological properties of ZnO: Experimental investigation and criterion validity.

Pure and Na-doped ZnO thin films were deposited by sol-gel dip coating method on glass substrates with (2–10) wt.% Na dopant concentrations. XRD confirmed the hexagonal wurtzite structure oriented along the (101) plane. The variation in average crystallite size was observed due to Na doping (2-10 wt%) in ZnO crystal ranges between 14.85 nm and 17.88 nm. The increase in surface area from 9.63 cm2/g to 14.1 cm2/g and porosity was in the range of 34.51 %–56.1 % was observed. Optical properties showed that the band gap decreased with an increase in Na doping concentrations in ZnO films. Magnetic properties of all the thin films showed ferromagnetic behavior at ambient temperature. The hopping process explained the dielectric properties that were predicted by the Maxwell-Wagner model and Koop's theory. Dielectric constant and tangent loss decreased while the AC conductivity increased with an increase in Na doping concentrations. The electrochemical properties of Na-doped ZnO-based electrode materials were evaluated by using the galvanostatic potentiometer. The specific capacitance was observed in the range between 794.01 Fg-1 to 867.18 Fg-1. The Na-doped ZnO photocatalyst can effectively break down the methylene blue dye, making it helpful in treating wastewater pollutants. Insignificant antibacterial activity was displayed as the amount of Na doping in the ZnO increased. These are used as environmental protection and antibacterial agents in biomedicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]