Hydrophilic nickel doped porous SnO₂ thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Abstract

This work deals with the preparation and characterization of pure and Nickel-doped porous Tin oxide (SnO2) thin films, using Spray pyrolysis technique for an eventual application in optoelectronics. The structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of these prepared samples were investigated using various techniques. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the tetragonal structure of pure SnO2 and Ni-doped films. The preferred orientation of the crystallites changed from (110) to (200) with the film doped at 15.3 at.% Ni, with crystallite size of about 10 and 18 nm for 15.3 at.% Ni-doped and 5.6 at.% Ni-doped SnO2, respectively. Scanning Electron Microscopy shows that the 15.3 at.% Ni-doped SnO2 film surface is relatively homogeneous, while the 5.6 at.% Ni-doped film is highly porous. The measured contact angles are less than 90° for all the prepared samples confirming the hydrophilic character of all the films. Transmittance as high as 85% in the visible region was observed for 5.6 at.% Ni-doped films, while lower transmittance is observed for 15.3 at.% Ni-doped films. A decrease of the optical band gap and the resistivity with increasing Ni dopant concentration were also observed.

A Comparative Study on the Optoelectronic Performance of Undoped, Mg-doped and F/Mg Co-doped ZnO Nanocrystalline Thin Films

“…In addition, the growth of Eg (blue shift) for 6 % F:1 % Mg co-doping is attributed to the Burstein-Moss. This band gap widening was also observed for other semiconductors such as Mg-doped ZnO [1], Co-doped ZnO [2], Nidoped SnO2 [18], Sn-doped In2O3 and B/Mg co-doped ZnO. According to the literature, the same result was observed by Snega et al [15] by studying films of F/Mg co-doped ZnO deposited by spray pyrolysis method for concentrations of Mg varying between 4-16 at.…”

“…The direct band gap energy (Eg) for films of undoped, Mg-doped and F/Mg co-doped ZnO is estimated from the plots of (αhν) 2 versus the photon energy hν, as shown in Fig. 6, using the Tauc's equation [2,3,17,18]. The linear part of these graphs is extrapolated to the energy axis, and the energy value at (hν) 2  0 gives the value of Eg.…”

Extended Wide Band Gap Amorphous ZnO Thin Films Deposited by Spray Pyrolysis

“…This behavior is similar to the results observed by Zahedi et al [14] who have observed the same evolution of ZnO-based films deposited for a temperature range between 200°C and 500℃. According to Khalfallah et al [20], the porosity increases the proportion of transmitted light. Therefore, the values of transmittance and porosity are compatible.…”

Super-Hydrophobic F-Doped SnO2 (FTO) Nanoflowers Deposited by Spray Pyrolysis Process for Solar Cell Applications

“…Indeed, in recent decades it has experienced increasing scientific and industrial interest in the form of thin layers due to its remarkable physical properties, more particularly its n-type semiconductor character and its good optical transparency in the visible range. These properties also make this material an ideal candidate for several practical applications such as gas sensors [5], photovoltaic cells [6], photocatalysis and others. The physico-chemical properties of thin layers of tin oxide depend on the process used for the deposition and conditions of elaboration.…”

“…Among the methods for producing thin layers of tin dioxide, our choice fell on the spray pyrolysis process. The many advantages offered by this process (simplicity, lower cost and good homogeneity of the films produced) [5][6][7][8] justify the choice of this method.…”