Influence of dopant concentration on the electronic band gap energy of Yb-ZrSe₂ thin films for photovoltaic application via electrochemical deposition technique

Abstract

This research focus on the Influence of Dopant Concentration on Polycrystalline Ytterbium-doped ZrSe (Yb-ZrSe) material for possible photovoltaic application using the electrochemical deposition method. The cationic precursor was an aqueous solution of 0.01 mol ZrOCl 2 .8H 2 O while the anionic precursor was 0.15 mol selenium was prepared by dissolving with 5 ml of Hydrochloric acid (HCl), and then 0.05 mol Yb (NO 3 ) 3 .5H 2 O was used as the dopant. The films were characterized using UV-1800 Visible Spectrophotometer, Bruker D8 Advance x-ray diffractometer with Cu Kα line (λ=1.54056 Å) in 2θ range from 10°-90°and Scanning Electron Microscopy. X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the deposited films on FTO substrate studies reveals that films are polycrystalline by exhibiting diffraction peaks at (111), (200), (200) and (210) corresponds to the following angle (27.00°), (38.01°), (46.02°), (66.02°). (SEM) revealed that the grain size was uniformly distributed on the surface of the substrate. The optical band gap energy -2.29 1.57 eV was obtained.

Iron-Intercalated Zirconium Diselenide Thin Films from the Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition of [Fe(η5-C5H4Se)2Zr(η5-C5H5)2]2

“…This structure type allows the intercalation of small molecules or atoms (electron donors) between TX 2 layers, which transfer electrons from the intercalate to the transition metal unoccupied d band . The intercalation of electron-donating atoms in TMD layered materials can be used to modulate the intrinsic physical properties of the host material that result into band gap changes, phase transition processes, , and development of magnetic and superconducting behaviors. ,, In the case of ZrSe 2 different alkali, transition ,,, and post-transition metals have been intercalated to modulate electronic states and dramatically change the opto-electronic and magnetic properties of the host material. In some cases, a relatively low intercalation produces a significant change while virtually retaining the host structure …”