Silver incorporated α-MoO3 nanoplates to nanorods: Exploring the effects of doping on structural, morphological and optical properties

Abstract

In this study, pristine stable orthorhombic molybdenum trioxide (α-MoO3) and different concentrations (1, 2, and 3 wt.%) of Ag-doped α-MoO3 were successfully synthesized using a low-temperature facile hydrothermal method. After that, the as-synthesized samples were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV-vis spectroscopy. XRD analysis confirmed that all pristine and doped samples of MoO3 have stable orthorhombic structures. In addition, crystallite sizes were estimated from XRD peak broadening using both Scherrer and Williamson- Hall methods. Interestingly, the rise of Ag contents has a significant impact on the surface morphology of α-MoO3 and it is seen from FESEM images that pristine α-MoO3 was nanoplates shape and then subsequently got agglomerated to form long nanorods shape after increasing Ag concentration. EDX study confirmed the Ag incorporation. The FTIR affirmed the presence of chemical bonding and stability of orthorhombic phase. Finally, the optical band gap was estimated from reflectance data of UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and obtained optical bang gap are lying in between 2.63 to 2.79 eV which indicates the gradual improvement of crystallinity.