Synthesis of Cu-Doped SnO2 Thin Films by Spray Pyrolysis for Gas Sensor Application

Studying the Effects of Cu Doping on Structure and Photoluminescence Properties of SnO2 Nanoparticle with Its Effectiveness towards the Mineralization of Toxic Industrial Dye

“…This suggests the successful incorporation of Cu 2+ ions in tin oxide lattice. 3,4 But, Cu doping has introduced some perturbation in the host SnO 2 lattice affecting the crystallinity whose implications are evidenced from the XRD spectra of the doped samples. As doping concentration is increased, a broadening in the diffraction peaks is noticed.…”

“…10,15,24 As Cu 2+ ions are incorporated into SnO 2 lattice, there is a good chance of their substitution at the Sn 4+ sites although a size mismatch exists between the above two (Sn 4+ : 0.69 Å & Cu 2+ : 0.73 Å). 3,4,6,10 But, the major concern is to maintain the charge neutrality or compensation of the charge imbalance arising from the replacement of Sn 4+ by Cu 2+ . This can be realized by the generation of oxygen ion vacancies (V O ) and compensation of the charge of Cu Sn by holes.…”

“…1,2 Metal oxide semiconductors like tin oxide (SnO 2 ) have been under intense investigation due to their distinctive physical, chemical and catalytic properties. 2,3 SnO 2 is an interesting material with unique attributes such as; high electrical conductivity, high optical transparency to visible light, high chemical and thermal stability. 4,5 It is an n-type semiconductor with direct band gap of 3.62 eV at 300 K and exists in tetragonal rutile structure.…”

“…4,5 It is an n-type semiconductor with direct band gap of 3.62 eV at 300 K and exists in tetragonal rutile structure. 4,6,7 Wide range of applications are shown by SnO 2 in the field of gas sensors, 3,8,9 optoelectronic devices, 4 solar cells, 10 liquid crystal displays, 5 transparent conducting electrodes 11,12 and catalysts [13][14][15] due to the above special characteristic properties. More importantly, it has strong oxidizing power to degrade pollutants and largely used as a photocatalyst.…”

“…Doping is an exclusive method for enhancing the inherent properties of semiconducting nanomaterials. 3,4,12,[16][17][18] The prototypical characteristics of these materials are highly influenced by the induction of defect centers introduced by impurity doping. 4,16,17,19 Metallic dopants like Cu, Fe, Co and Mn have established their credibility in improving the electronic, optical and magnetic properties of SnO 2 .…”