ABSTRACT:
Mg-ZnO NPs with varying concentrations (4, 8, and 12) % were synthesized via a low-cost co-precipitation method. Morphological transition revealed by SEM: a significant change was observed in morphology due to the high temperature; NPs changed from irregular-shaped granules to spherical clusters for undoped ZnO to higher Mg concentrations. Single-phase hexagonal wurtzite structure confirmed by XRD in all samples, with peak shifts indicating the successful substitution of Zn²⁺ by Mg²⁺. The Debye-Scherrer formula was used to find the average crystallite size; the particle size increased from 27.24nm to 31.19nm in the undoped ZnO and 12% Mg-doped samples, respectively, reflecting improved crystallinity. PL analysis demonstrated a significant blue shift in the Near Band Edge (NBE) emission, with the optical band-gap (calculated from the emission peak) increasing from 3.35 eV to 3.48 eV. EDX results validated the elemental purity of the Zn, O, and Mg constituents. The 8% Mg-ZnO sample showed the lowest PL intensity, indicating suppressed electron-hole recombination. These structural and optical modifications, particularly the formation of spherical clusters and the tuning of band gaps, make these Mg-ZnO NPs highly efficient candidates for the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes in wastewater treatment.
Keywords: ZnO NPs, Mg doping, Co-precipitation, Blue shift.

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