Surface plasmon enhanced near-UV emission in monodispersed ZnO:Ag core–shell type nanoparticles synthesized by a wet chemical method

• Monodispersed Ag-coated ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by a facile process.
• The process allows precise control over the core–shell microstructure.
• The surface modified nanoparticles show colossal enhancement in near-UV emission.

Monodispersed core–shell type ZnO:Ag nanoparticles were synthesized by a wet chemical method and their salient properties were reported. The synthesis technique explores a facile route following a chemical reaction between aqueous solutions of poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA), sucrose and Zn2+ salt. The Zn2+-PVA-sucrose polymer precursor powders so obtained after the reaction was further explored for the synthesis of ZnO:Ag nanoparticles. The key part of the process lies in the use of polymer encapsulated ZnO nanoparticles as templates to obtain the ZnO core-Ag shell type nanostructures. Structural, morphological and optical properties of the derived ZnO:Ag core–shell nanoparticles were evaluated with X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy, UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Microstructural analysis revealed monodispersed platelet shaped ZnO nanoparticles with a thin layer of Ag coating on the surface. The surface modified ZnO nanoparticles show colossal enhancement in their near-UV emission characteristics, primarily due to the efficient excitation of surface plasmons and excellent semiconductor-metal interfacing in the ZnO:Ag nanoparticles.

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