Microwave-assisted synthesis of Gd³⁺ doped PbI₂ hierarchical nanostructures for optoelectronic and radiation detection applications

In this work, we report the simple, low temperature and rapid microwave-assisted synthesis of undoped and Gadolinium (III) doped lead iodide with different morphologies, i.e. nanorods of average diameter ~200 nm and hierarchical (flower-shaped) nanosheets of thicknesses less than 100 nm. Prepared nanostructures were typify in details using a variety of analytical techniques that reveal the well crystallinity with hexagonal structure. We found that by changing the concentrations of Gadolinium (III) one can tailor the size and shape of nanostructures of lead iodide. The presence of Gadolinium (III) doping was assessed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Optical band gap and Photoluminescence intensity are found to be enhanced due to Gadolinium (III) doping. The value of Gamma linear absorption coefficient is found to be enriched with doping, which suggests its application in radiation detection.