Structural and Spectroscopic Studies of Sm3+ Ions Doped ZnS Nanoparticle in Silica Glass Matrix

Objective: This report intends to study the structural and spectroscopic properties of Sm3+ doped with ZnS nanoparticles in silica glass. Methods: The research adopted the sol-gel technique for preparing the sample. The physical property of the studied glass sample is examined by different characterization techniques such as Abbe refractometer, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Findings: XRD studies confirmed the formation of glassy amorphous nature and TEM studies confirmed that the studied nanoparticles are polycrystalline in nature with a particle size lies between 10-50 nm after annealing at 300 °C. The PL spectra have three emission bands that correspond to 4G5/2→6H5/2, 4G5/2→6H7/2 and 4G5/2→6H9/2 correspondingly at 565 nm, 603 nm and 650 nm with most prominent bands in the orange-red region. Novelty: This research proves that the rare earth element can be successfully doped with semiconductor nanoparticle by using sol-gel technique in silica glass. Consequently, the doped glass can be utilised for producing nearly pure white hue when triggered at 370 nm.