Role of Gd3+ and Ho3+ doping on the structure, physical properties and applications of ZnO

Abstract ZnO, Zn 0.97 Gd 0.03 O and Ho were prepared via a citrate auto-combustion method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrated that the investigated nanoparticles in hexagonal structure, with crystallite sizes averaging between 12 60 nm. The morphology of samples is illustrated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) images. paramagnetic behavior VSM. value optical band gap (E g ) was higher than E ZnO due to Moss–Burstein effect. Heavy metal Cd 2+ ions from water are effectively adsorbed rare earth-doped ZnO. At pH = 8, exhibits maximum removal efficiency 91%. Freundlich isotherm model fits experimental results well.