An investigation of ⁶⁰Co gamma radiation-induced effects on the properties of nanostructured α-MoO₃ for the application in optoelectronic and photonic devices

Gamma ray has sufficient energy to ionize and displace of atoms when interacts with optoelectronic and photonic devices that are placed at γ-radiation exposure environment, can be exposed to gamma radiation, resulting the alteration of the physical properties and hence the performances of devices. A comprehensive investigation of physical properties of the semiconductor materials under the influence of gamma radiation is essential for the effective design of devices for the application in the radiation exposure environment. In this article, a potential candidate for optoelectronic and photonic devices, orthorhombic MoO₃ nanoparticles with average crystallite size of 135.31 nm successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method. Then, the properties of nanoparticles exposed to low (10 kGy) and high (120 kGy) absorbed dose of γ-rays from ⁶⁰Co source were characterized by XRD, FESEM, FTIR and UV–Vis–NIR spectrophotometer and effects of absorbed doses was investigated for the first time. A significant change is observed in different physical properties of α-MoO₃ nanoparticles after gamma exposure. The XRD patterns reveal the average crystallite size, intensity and the degree of crystallinity decrease for low dose (10 kGy) and increases for high dose (120 kGy). The calculated average crystallite size exposed to low and high doses are 127.79 nm and 136 nm, respectively. The lattice strain and dislocation density, however, shows the opposite trend of crystallite size with absorbed doses. This result is good evidence for the deterioration of crystallinity for low dose and improvement for high dose. The FESEM results reveal the significant effects of gamma doses on the micrographs of layered structure and on grain size. The optical studies disclose that band gap increases gradually from 2.78 to 2.90 eV, this behavior is associated with the reduction of electronic localized states. These results suggest that α-MoO₃ nanoparticles could tolerate high doses of gamma radiation, making it a promising candidate for optoelectronic and photonic devices for γ-ray exposure environment applications.