Band Gap Engineering of Mg Doped ZnO Nanorods Prepared by a Hydrothermal Method

The effect of band gap on the structure, magnetic, and optical properties of Zn _1−x Mg _x O nanorods synthesized by hydrothermal method using varying x-values from 0.00 to 0.05 with 0.01 step increment is studied. The structural phases of Zn _1−x Mg _x O samples are determined by X-ray diffraction tool. The Rietveld analysis is performed for the selected Zn _0.95 Mg _0.05 O sample and all samples’ phases are found as single phase. The concentration-dependent of lattice parameters, cell volumes, microstrain, and dislocation density, locality of the atoms and their displacement, and bond length in Zn _{1- x} Mg _x O structures are detailed. Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) measurements are performed and analyzed through concentration dependence of the g-factor and the line-widths of pike to pike (ΔH _PP ) of ESR spectra. A ferromagnetic behavior of the Zn _0.95 Mg _0.05 O nanorods is observed. The optical band gaps (E _g ) of Zn _{1- x} Mg _x O nanorods are obtained by the data taken from Ultraviolet–Visible (UV–VIS) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. It is found that the E _g -values increased with increasing amount of Mg elements in the structure.