synthesis and structural investigation of erbium-doped znwo4 nanocrystals

In this study, znwo4:er3+ nanocrystals were synthesized using a simple co-precipitation method. the structural properties of the prepared powders were characterized through x-ray diffraction (xrd), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ftir), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (fe-sem). the synthesized nanopowders exhibited a monoclinic wolframite crystal structure. using the williamson-hall method, the lattice strain and crystal size of the synthesized powders were estimated. zwo nanopowders with a 1 at.% concentration of er dopant showed the lowest strain and crystallite size. fe-sem results revealed that the prepared nanoparticles have a spherical morphology with an average size of 140 nm. the ftir analysis confirmed the presence of zn-o, zn-o-w, and w-o vibrations in the synthesized structure. the transmittance percentage in the doped sample changed concerning the pure one, indicating that interstitial er3+ ions affected the number of w-o, zn-o, and zn-o-w bonds. the facilely synthesized erbium-doped znwo4 nanocrystals showed promise for a range of practical applications.