ABSTRACT
In this work, ZnO, Ce3+ doped ZnO (ZnO/Ce3+)
and Cu2+ + Ce3+ co-doped ZnO (ZnO/Cu2+ + Ce3+ ) solid solutions powders were
synthesized by a solution combustion method
maintaining the Ce3+ ion concentration constant in 3%Wt while the Cu2+ ion concentration was varied in 1, 2, 3, 10 and 20%Wt. After
its synthesis, all
the samples were annealed at 900?C by 24 h. The ZnO, ZnO/Ce3+ and ZnO/Cu2+ + Ce3+ powders were structurally characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique, and the
XRD patterns showed that for pure ZnO, Cu2+ undoped ZnO/Ce3+ and ZnO/Ce3+ doped with the Cu2+ ion, the three samples exhibited the hexagonal wurtzite ZnO crystalline structure. However, the morphology and particle size of both samples were observed by means of a scanning
electron microscopy (SEM); from SEM image, it is observed that the crystallites of both samples are agglomerated forming bigger amorphous particles with an
approximate average size of 1 μm. In addition, the photoluminescence of the ZnO, Ce3+ doped ZnO and Cu2+ + Ce3+ doped ZnO samples was measurement under an illumination of 209 nm
wavelength (UV region): for the
ZnO/Ce3+ sample, your emission spectrum is in
the visible region from blue color until red color; the UV band of the
ZnO is
suppressed. The multicolor emission visible
is attributed to the Ce3+ ion photoluminescence, while for the
ZnO/Cu2+ + Ce3+, its emission PL spectrum is quenching by the Cu2+ ion, present in the ZnO crystalline.