X-ray peak profile analysis of pure and Dy-doped <i>α</i> -MoO ₃ nanobelts using Debye-Scherrer, Williamson-Hall and Halder-Wagner methods

Abstract In this article, pure and 2 M% dysprosium (Dy)-doped α -MoO3 nanobelts have been successfully synthesised by the autoclave assisted-hydrothermal method. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed that the nanobelts were crystalline in nature with an orthorhombic structure. The sharp and narrow XRD peaks divulged the high quality with good crystallinity of the nanobelts. The intensity of the peak (040) increased and shifted towards lower 2 θ values which reflected the successful incorporation of Dy in MoO 3 matrix. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed the formation of randomly distributed nanobelts with average width of 90–150 nm and length of 950–1300 nm. Vibration behaviour of chemical bonds was characterised by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the detected peaks…