First-principles and experimental studies of the IR emissivity of Sn-doped ZnO

The dielectric function and IR emissivity of Zn1−xSnxO (x=0, 0.0625) were investigated using a first-principles ultra-soft pseudo potential approach based on density functional theory. Pure ZnO and ZnO doped with 6.25 at.% Sn were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method. The crystal structure, morphology, composition, and IR emissivity in the range 3-14 μm were characterized by various techniques including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and spectroradiometry. The theoretical and experimental results imply that the IR emissivity of ZnO can be reduced by Sn doping.