Direct experimental evidence for SbZn–2VZn complex as the important defect in the Sb-doped ZnO nanocrystals

•Sb doped ZnO nanocrystals was prepared by a vapor condensation method.•Sb doped ZnO nanocrystals exhibited an obvious shrinkage of crystal lattice.•The XRD results provide direct evidence for the model based on SbZn–2VZn complex.•This is in good agreement with the PL spectrum and red shift of absorption peak.

There is a theoretical structure model for Sb doped ZnO in which Sb dopants occupy Zn sites to form a SbZn–2VZn complex and this model has been confirmed rarely by the structure characterizations. Here, Sb doped ZnO nanocrystals (NCs) were prepared by a vapor condensation method and exhibited a shrinkage of crystal lattice, providing a direct experimental evidence for this model. The shrinkage of crystal lattice was accurately characterized by XRD, and mainly attributed to the formation of SbZn–2VZn complex which agreed well with a new peak at ~3.10 eV in the PL spectrum and red shift of adsorption peak in the UV–vis spectrum compared with that of pure ZnO NCs.