Synthesis and magnetooptic characterization of Cu-doped ZnO/MgO and ZnO/oleic acid core/shell nanoparticles

Abstract

The effect of Cu ion doping on the photoluminescence (PL) and magnetic behavior of ZnO/MgO and ZnO/oleic acid core/shell nanoparticles is investigated. By means of transmission electron microscopy we determine the average size distribution of the synthesized nanoparticles, while by studying electron paramagnetic resonance we determine the oxidation state of the Cu ions to be Cu²⁺. The magnetic field only slightly shifts spectrally the emission of the ensemble of such quantum dots. On the other hand, the magnetic field induces a considerable strengthening of the PL intensity and a sizable circular polarization of the emission of ZnO/MgO nanocrystals.