Photoactive Cu-Containing ZnO-ZnAl-=SUB=-2-=/SUB=-O-=SUB=-4-=/SUB=- nanocomposites

Abstract

Photoactive Cu-containing ZnO-ZnAl2O3 nanocomposites were synthesized by the polymer-salt method. To study the structure and properties of materials, the methods of luminescent spectroscopy and X-ray phase analysis were used. It has been shown that the resulting nanocomposites are capable of photogeneration of singlet oxygen under the action of UV and blue light. The synthesized materials consist of nanosized hexagonal ZnO crystals and cubic ZnAl2O4 crystals doped with Cu. The study of luminescent properties showed that nanocomposites can be used as down-converters of light that convert radiation from the UV-C range to UV-A and the visible spectral range. Keywords: singlet oxygen, nanoparticle, luminescence, ZnO, ZnAl2O4.