Abstract
•Elaboration of (V, Al) co-doped ZnO nanoparticles.•Structural and optical characterizations of these nanoparticles.•The powder shows an average particle size of 25nm.•A strong luminescence band in the visible range is appeared.
ZnO, Zn0.9V0.1O and Zn0.89V0.1Al0.01O nanoparticles have been prepared by a sol–gel method and their structural and optical properties have been investigated. The obtained nanopowder was characterised by various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. After thermal treatment at 500°C in air, the powder of Zn0.89V0.1Al0.01O with an average particle size of 25nm presents a strong luminescence band in the visible range. The PL band energy position presents a small blue shift with the increase of measurement temperature. Different possible attributions of this emission band will be discussed.