Abstract
The sol-gel approach was employed to successfully synthesise pure ZnO, CdO NPs, and ZnO/CdO nanocomposite. The purity of ZnO, CdO, and ZnO/CdO composites at different concentrations was verified using X-ray diffraction analysis. The results indicated that an increase in the CdO or ZnO ratio of the ZnO/CdO composite corresponded to an increase in the average crystal size. The FESEM pictures revealed that the predominant grain structure for pure ZnO NPs is polyhedral and tiny in size, but for pure CdO NPs, the majority of grains are spherical and big in size. The grains in ZnO/CdO nanocomposites have a spherical shape, possess a polyhedral structure, and are smaller in size compared to pure CdO nanoparticles. The lowest average particle size of the nanocomposite was 98.8 nm for the 70% ZnO/30% CdO nanocomposite. The atomic force analysis indicates that the combination of 70% ZnO/30% CdO exhibits significant values for roughness, RMS, and a small value for average grain size. The UV-VIS spectra exhibited a red shift when the CdO ratio in the nanocomposite rose. Nanocomposite materials containing zinc oxide and cadmium have several possible future uses, including photocatalysis, medicinal devices, and more. High output, great efficiency, and cheap cost are the hallmarks of this approach.