Picosecond UV emissions of hydrothermal grown Fe3+-doped ZnO microrods

Abstract We report the successful iron (III), Fe3+ doping of hydrothermal-grown zinc oxide (ZnO) microrods. The Fe3+-doped ZnO microrods were synthesized at 90 °C using zinc acetate dihydrate, hexamethylenetetramine, and iron (III) chloride aqueous solutions. Compared to the undoped microrods, the Fe3+-doped microrods exhibit more intense, sharper 564-nm (visible) emissions and shorter 388-nm (ultraviolet) emission lifetimes attributed to the successful incorporation of Fe3+ in a 6-coordinated geometry. Fe3+ is incorporated as an interstitial or part of a defect complex that effectively modified the defect structure while preserving the hexagonal wurtzite lattice. These results reveal the possibility of intentional transition metal doping of hydrothermal-grown ZnO micro/nanostructures with faster emission lifetimes for possible scintillator applications.