Studies on effect of Fe doping on ZnO nanoparticles microstructural features using x ray diffraction technique

Abstract The synthesis of crystalline Fe-doped ZnO nanoparticles by decomposing a deep eutectic solvent (DES)-prepared Fe/Zn precursor. This work includes a comparative study of the influence of Fe doping on microstructural characteristics. Fe was doped at various weight percentages ranging from 0.5% to 2.5% with 0.5% increments. Microstructural characteristics such as crystallite size, strain, dislocation density, and so on are significant in future applications. Microstructural characteristics were estimated using the x-ray diffraction technique. To investigate these microstructural properties, modified versions of the Williamson–Hall, Size-strain plot, Halder-Wagner, and Wagner-Aqua methods were used. This strategy was used to conduct a thorough comparison throughout this project. The size of the crystallites varies with the level of Fe doping. The Scherrer approach yields a distinct trend than the other methods. The size of the crystallites decreases as Fe doping levels increase. Microstrain varies in inverse proportion to crystallite size. The strain and dislocation density decrease as the crystallite size increases. This affects the deformation energy density involved in crystallite formation. The spherical crystalline characteristic is plainly visible in TEM. The SAED pattern agrees with the XRD pattern’s polycrystallinity. Elemental mapping reveals the presence of Fe, Zn, and O in produced nanoparticles. FESEM shows the nanosheet-like features. Agglomeration increases with doping. EDS agrees with the elemental mapping performed in TEM. Overall, this study provides a deeper understanding of nanomaterials’ microstructural properties.