Soft Chemical Synthesis and Physico-Chemical Characterization of Cobalt-Doped Gd₂O₃ Nanoparticles

Abstract

Gd2-xCoxO3-δ (where x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple chemical precipitation method. XRD data revealed the presence of a cubic crystalline structure in the samples. FTIR data showed a peak at 441 cm−1 which is due to Gd-O vibration mode. Particle size analysis indicated particles in the range of 290.5–616.6 nm. SEM studies revealed agglomeration of particles. The presence of cobalt dopant with varying compositions was further confirmed from EDX. The band gap of Gd2-xCoxO3-δwas found to be in the range of 3.57 − 4.93 eV.