ZnO/Ni(OH)2 core-shell nanoparticles: Synthesis, optical, electrical and photoacoustic property analysis

- Synthesis of ZnO/Ni(OH)2 core-shell hybrid nanoparticles was achieved by simple method.
- Energy band gap is reduced from bulk state of 3.5 eV-3.3 eV during this hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles.
- Small value of dielectric loss indicating that, the material possesses lesser number of electrically active defects.
- Thermal diffusivity of the pellet sample is found to be 3.3 × 10−6 m2/s.

The optical and electrical properties of ZnO/Ni(OH)2 core-shell hybrid nanoparticles have been studied and reported here. The sample is prepared by hydrothermal method using a 100 ml Teflon lined stainless steel autoclave. ZnO nanoparticles are employed as core material for Ni(OH)2 seeds, and subsequent nucleated growth of Ni(OH)2 nanoparticles by cationic surfactant Cetyl Tri-methyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) formed the ZnO/Ni(OH)2 core-shell nanoparticles. The material was confirmed and immaculateness hexagonal wurtziite structure is analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction and the functional groups are identified by FTIR and FT-Raman analyses. The crystalline size, shape and surface morphology of the ZnO/Ni(OH)2 nanoparticles are determined by using FE-SEM. Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) analysis reveals the stability and particle size distribution of the synthesized ZnO/Ni(OH)2 nanoparticles. The optical absorbance wavelength observed at 354 nm has been shifted to 373 nm during hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles and 215 nm for ZnO/Ni(OH)2 nanoparticles. Energy band gap is reduced from bulk state of 3.5 eV-3.3 eV during this hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles. The electrical properties of ZnO/Ni(OH)2 nanoparticles have been studied by dielectric, ac conductivity measurements. Small value of dielectric constant and the dielectric loss shows the suitability of the material for electro-optic device fabrication. Thermal diffusivity of the pellet sample is calculated by photoacoustic technique and is found to be 3.3 × 10−6 m2/s.