Plasma assisted synthesis of cobalt-doped ZnO nanoparticles in liquid

Cobalt-doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by electrical discharge treatment of a mixture of metallic zinc and cobalt micropowders (with Co atomic concentration of 10%) in distilled water. The results of the characterization of inner structure, phase composition and morphology of the prepared samples performed by means of TEM, XRD, FTIR and UV–Vis spectroscopy proved the formation of near-spherical doped ZnO:Co nanocrystals under the found optimized experimental conditions. The band gap of the Co-doped ZnO nanoparticles was estimated to be 2.88 eV in comparison to the pure ZnO – 3.28 eV. The broad luminescence band associated with the formation of defect levels in Co-doped ZnO was observed the range from 450 nm to 750 nm. The prepared Co-doped ZnO nanocrystals exhibited ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature that can be useful for their application in spintronics.