Effects of Dopant Incorporation on the Growth and Properties of ZnO Nanowires Synthesized by Hybrid Microwave‐Assisted Sonochemical Technique

The incorporation of dopants is an effective strategy for tailoring the properties of zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO NWs) for advanced functional applications. Although the hybrid microwave‐assisted sonochemical technique (HMAST) has been demonstrated as a rapid and controllable method for ZnO nanowire growth, the comparative influence of different dopants under identical HMAST conditions remains largely unexplored. In this study, Al‐, Ag‐, Fe‐, Nb‐, and Ni‐doped ZnO nanowires were synthesized using optimized growth parameters of 12.5 m m precursor concentration, 600 W microwave power, and 60 min deposition time. The effects of dopant incorporation on the morphology, structural, and optical properties of ZnO nanowires were investigated using FESEM, EDX, XRD, and UV–vis spectroscopy. Field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis revealed significant dopant‐dependent variations in nanowire growth, with Al‐doped ZnO exhibiting the smallest average diameter (17.70 ± 2.84 nm) and Nb‐doped ZnO the largest (28.09 ± 4.43 nm). XRD results confirmed the formation of a hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structure with strong preferential c ‐axis orientation and no detectable secondary phases. Nb‐doped and Al‐doped ZnO exhibited the largest crystallite sizes of 100.07 and 98.87 nm, respectively, while Ag‐doped ZnO showed the smallest crystallite size (49.74 nm). Fe‐doped ZnO exhibited the highest visible‐light transmittance (96.27%), whereas Ni‐doped ZnO showed the lowest (64.72%). The results demonstrate that dopant incorporation significantly influences nanowire growth, crystallinity, and optical response during HMAST synthesis, highlighting HMAST as a versatile approach for producing ZnO nanowires with tunable properties for optoelectronic, sensing, photocatalytic, and energy‐related applications.