The Structural and Electrochemical Properties of CuCoO2 Crystalline Nanopowders and Thin Films: Conductivity Experimental Analysis and Insights from Density Functional Theory Calculations

Abstract

A novel manufacturing process is presented for producing nanopowders and thin films of CuCoO2 (CCO) material. This process utilizes three cost-effective synthesis methods: hydrothermal, sol-gel, and solid-state reactions. The resulting delafossite CuCoO2 samples were deposited onto transparent substrates through spray pyrolysis, forming innovative thin films with a nanocrystal powder structure. Prior to the transformation into thin films, CuCoO2 powder was first produced using a low-cost approach. The precursors for both powders and thin films were deposited onto glass surfaces using a spray pyrolysis process, and their characteristics were examined through X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, HR-TEM, UV-visible spectrophotometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analyses were conducted to determine the conductivity in the transversal direction of this groundbreaking material for solar cell applications. On the other hand, the sheet resistance of the samples was investigated using the four-probe method to obtain the sheet resistivity and then calculate the in-plane conductivity of the samples. We also investigated the aging characteristics of different precursors with varying durations. The functional properties of CuCoO2 samples were explored by studying chelating agent and precursor solution aging periods using Density Functional Theory calculations (DFT). A complementary Density Functional Theory study was also performed in order to evaluate the electronic structure of this compound. Resuming, this study thoroughly discusses the synthesis of delafossite powders and their conversion into thin films, which hold potential as hole transport layers in transparent optoelectronic devices.

The Use of Copper-Based Delafossite to Improve Hydrogen Production Performance: A Review

“…Combinations with other semiconductor materials may increase the The photoactivity was found to be conditional and reducing the synthesis temperature using the nitrate approach enhanced specific surface area (Ssp). Due to electrons' poor mobility, the arrival of electrons at the contact was designated as the rate-determining phase in the framework of photoelectrochemical H 2 generation [101].…”