The preparation and photoluminescence properties of ZnO-MCM-41

Abstract ZnO crystallites have been anchored within the pore channels of silica MCM-41 (named ZnO-MCM-41) through a chelation method of Zn2+ by ethyldiamino group (EN) on the inner surface. The structural and elemental composition analyses of the material were characterized by the SAXRD, XRD, BET, XPS and EDS under HRTEM techniques. The ZnO crystallites were about 1.7 nm estimated from the UV–Vis spectra. The bright UV (377 nm), violet (420 nm) and blue–green (480 nm) photoluminescence (PL) bands have been detected. The unfamiliar violet PL band is related to the oxygen vacancies on the ZnO–SiO2 interface traps.