Assembly of Lanthanum and graphene doped ZnO nanostructured microclusters developed by the electrospinning calcination method
Dumitru Manica1, Petronela Pascariu1, Oana Brincoveanu1, Cosmin Romanitan1, Cristina Pachiu1, Marina Manica1,2, Mirela Petruta Suchea1,3* and Emmanouel Koudoumas1,3*
1 National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies - IMT Bucharest, 126A, Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, 077190, Voluntari-Bucharest, ROMANIA;
2 Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, Atomiștilor Street 405, 077125 Măgurele, Ilfov, Romania; M.M.
3 Center of Materials Technology and Photonics, School of Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), 71410 Heraklion, Crete, Greece; M.P.S.
Abstract:
Pure and doped ZnO/graphene composite materials are of growing interest today, due to their synergistic properties and versatile applications in next-generation electronics, sensing, energy, and environmental technologies. ZnO is a wide bandgap semiconductor with excellent optoelectronic properties. When combined with graphene — a material with high carrier mobility, thermal conductivity, and large surface area — the composite exhibits improved charge transport, photoconductivity, and light absorption, essential for applications like photodetectors, solar cells, and transparent electronics. Graphene may serve as a highly conductive network and a barrier to recombination, facilitating rapid charge transfer and improving stability. This can be especially valuable in electrochemical applications, supercapacitors, and biosensors, where electron mobility and surface reactions are key.
The present work is dedicated to obtaining Lanthanum doped ZnO with graphene nanostructured materials. Such composite were obtained materials as nanostructured microclusters powders by the electrospinning calcination method. The electrospinning precursor solutions were a combination of solvents, containing zinc acetate, a La salt and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in a polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) suspension. A Spinbox® electrospinning system from Bioinicia S.L. was used, at a voltage of 25 kV. The PVP matrix composite fibers, loaded with LaGNPsZnO precursor, were collected on a fixed planar collector at a distance of 15 cm from the emitter needle. After fibers fabrication, these were calcined for 4 hours at a temperature of 400 C and characterized. 3 replications were made in order to verify the reproducibility of the material properties. Combined X-ray Diffraction Analysis (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) Analysis and Raman spectroscopy proved a good reproducibility of the properties of the 3 materials. In particular, a homogeneous distribution of La dopant and graphene in the obtained composite materials was observed, the material being in the form of powder consisting of a combination of nanoparticles, nanorods and nanoclusters. Optimization of the synthesis process is ongoing.
Acknowledgments: The work was mainly supported by PNRR/2022/C9/MCID/I8 CF23/14 11 2022 contract 760101/23.05.2023 financed by the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization in “Development of a program to attract highly specialized human resources from abroad in research, development, and innovation activities” within the – PNRR-IIIC9-2022 - I8 PNRR/2022/Component 9/investment 8 and partially supported by the Romanian Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalisation through the μNanoEl, Cod: 23 07 core Programme.
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