Effect of temperature on Photoluminescence properties of ZnO/mesoporus silica nanocomposite

This paper reports on Photoluminescence (PL) properties of ZnO nanoparticles incorporated in mesoporous silica matrix (MPS). The effect of temperature and annealing times on photoluminescence properties of ZnO/ MPS nanocomposite were studied. The strong UV emission at 363 nm from the sample annealed in oxygen atmosphere at 550°C indicates the formation of very small ZnO nanoparticles. The sample shows blue-green emission band when annealed at 300°C for three hours. The increase in annealing time to 5h turns the blue-green PL band to blue band and further increase in annealing time causes the increase in intensity without any shift. Quenching of blue emission at high temperatures is observed.