One-Step, In Situ Hydrothermal Fabrication of Cobalt-Doped ZnO/CdS Nanosheets for Optoelectronic Applications

Abstract

An in-situ hydrothermal process was used to create Co-doped ZnO/CdS nanosheets in order to examine the effects of the divalent impurity (Co) ions on the structural, morphological, optical, and magnetic characteristics of the test material. For both ZnO and CdS, XRD verified the development of a hexagonal wurtzite structure. SEM, TEM, and HR-TEM studies produced sheet-like morphology. Elemental mapping and XPS examination verified the presence of essential elements (S, Cd, O, Co, and Zn). Co-doping dramatically increased the nanosheets’ ability to absorb light in the visible area. Comparing the bandgap energy to pure ZnO and ZnO/CdS nanocomposites, the bandgap energy (2.59 eV) was well-regulated. The PL spectrum at 577 nm showed a prominent yellow emission band that was attributed to the 4A2g(F) → 4T1g(F) transition. Improvement in the room temperature ferromagnetic properties was observed due to doping of Co2+ ions. Warm white light harvesting was confirmed by the estimated CCT value (3540 K). The test material appears to be suitable for the creation of next-generation optoelectronic devices.