In this study, thin flms containing titanium dioxide (TiO₂), iron (III) oxide (Fe2O3) and cerium oxide (CeO2), with varying Fe2O3:CeO2 concentrations ranging from 0 to 30 wt% and 10 wt% gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), were prepared on glass using chemical spray pyrolysis. The structural, morphological, and sensing properties of the prepared thin flms were examined. XRD analysis revealed that a phase transformation occurred based on the dopant concentration: flms with x = 0 or 0.1 formed a polycrystalline anatase structure, whereas those with intermediate concentrations (x = 0.15 or 0.20) were amorphous. At higher doping concentrations (x = 0.25, 0.30), the structure developed a hematite Fe2O3, CeO2 and Au phase. Morphologically, atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that surface roughness initially decreased and then increased at the beginning of impurity introduction; however, at x = 0.15, roughness was signifcantly high. Gas sensing measurements were carried out through resistance measurements in the absence of, and exposure to, reducing gas (H2S) and oxidizing gas (NO2). The results showed that sensitivity and selectivity varied depending on the gas sensing performance. The addition of Fe2O3:CeO2 increased sensitivity to the reducing gas (H2S) signifcantly, reaching a peak response of 36.31 at x = 0.15 and an operating temperature of 423 K, whereas doping decreased sensitivity to the oxidizing gas (NO2). The highest sensitivity of 30.13 was achieved at x = 0.1, making this the most efective sensor for this gas at 523K.
In this study, thin film of pure zinc oxide (ZnO) and ZnO doped with Ga2O3 films with different concentrations (0, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07 and 0.09)wt% were prepared by pulsed laser deposition. The powder mixture was then sintered in a furnace at 1273 K for 5 h. The resulting powders were thoroughly ground and then pressed using a special press to form discs with a diameter of 1 cm and a thickness of 0.5 cm. The deposition was carried out under a vacuum of 2.5×10−2 mbar on various substrates, including glass for AFM measurements and n-type crystalline silicon wafers for the gas sensor. AFM results revealed a progressive increase in both grain size and roughness with moderate doping and irregularity at high doping levels. Gas-sensing meas
... Show MoreBulk AlxSb1-x samples were prepared with different x ratios (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9) by quenching technique. This was done throughout mixing the aluminum and antimony elements according to the proper atomic weight and put them in an evacuated quartz ampoule which then sealed and heated at 1273 K for five hours and left to cool in air. Thin films of AlxSb1-xwere prepared by using thermal evaporation under vacuum of 10-5 mbar on glass substrates at room temperature with deposition rate (10-15nm/min) at thickness of ∼ 500nm. The structures of AlxSb1-x bulk and thin films have been studied by X–ray diffraction technique. The results showed that all alloys have polycrystalline structures and the p
Fe2O3/ MgO composites with various ratios (90/10,80/20,70/30,60/40 and 50/50 %wt.) were synthesized. Their structure was determined using the X-ray diffractometer. The observed X-Ray patterns showed that the prepared composites were polycrystalline with rhombohedral Hematite (α-Fe2O3) whereas the preferred planes for crystal growth are (104) and (110).The dielectric properties of the Fe2O3/ MgO, with various ratios, were studied as function of frequency over the range (50Hz – 1MHz). The conductivity as function to frequency σa.c(ω) obey the power law relation σa.c(ω) =Aωs where the factor s was found to be in the range 0.329-0.491. The dielectric constant is increasing; but not in a regular way, with the increasing MgO content. The
... Show MoreTin Oxide (SnO2) films have been deposited by spray pyrolysis technique at different substrate temperatures. The effects of substrate temperature on the structural, optical and electrical properties of SnO2 films have been investigated. The XRD result shows a polycrystalline structure for SnO2 films at substrate temperature of 673K. The thickness of the deposited film was of the order of 200 nm measured by Toulansky method. The energy gap increases from 2.58eV to 3.59 eV when substrate temperature increases from 473K to 673K .Electrical conductivity is 4.8*10-7(.cm)-1 for sample deposited at 473K while it increases to 8.7*10-3 when the film is deposited at 673K
Pure and doped TiO 2 with Bi films are obtained by pulse laser deposition technique at RT under vacume 10-3 mbar, and the influence of Bi content on the photocvoltaic properties of TiO 2 hetrojunctions is studied. All the films display photovoltaic in the near visible region. A broad double peaks are observed around λ= 300nm for pure TiO 2 at RT in the spectral response of the photocurrent, which corresponds approximately to the absorption edge and this peak shift to higher wavelength (600 nm) when Bi content increase by 7% then decrease by 9%. The result is confirmed with the decreasing of the energy gap in optical properties. Also, the increasing is due to an increase in the amount of Bi content, and shifted to 400nm when annealed at 523
... Show MoreAluminum oxide thin films were prepared by dc reactive sputtering technique using different mixing ratios of argon and oxygen gases (90:10, 70:30, 50:50, 30:70, and 10:90). These films were characterized to introduce their crystalline structures, surface morphology, and elemental composition. A progressive transition occurs from a predominantly amorphous to a highly crystalline Al2O3 film as the oxygen content in the Ar:O2 gas mixture is increased. Increasing the oxygen content leads to a progressive decrease in surface roughness, resulting in smoother and more uniform films with finer granular features. The oxygen-rich environments yield the smoothest surfaces, while argon-rich environments result in significantly rougher surfaces. These f
... Show MoreIn this work, ZnS thin films have been deposited by developed laser deposition technique on glass substrates at room temperature. After deposition process, the films were annealed at different temperatures (200ºC , 300 ºC and 400ºC ) using thermal furnace.The developed technique was used to obtain homogeneous thin films of ZnS depending on vaporization of this semiconductor material by continuous CO2 laser with a simple fan to ensure obtaining homogeneous films. ZnS thin films were annealed at temperature 200ºC, 300 ºC and 400ºC for (20) minute in vacuum environment. Optical properties of ZnS thin film such as absorbance, transmittance, reflectance, optical band gap, refractive index extinction coefficient and absorption coefficien
... Show MoreIodine-doped polythiophene thin films are prepared by aerosol assisted plasma jet polymerization at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The doping of iodine was carried out in situ by employing iodine crystals in thiophene monomer by weight mixing ratios of 1%, 3%, 5% and 7%. The chemical composition analyses of pure and iodine-doped and heat-treated polythiophene thin films are carried out by FTIR spectroscopy studies. The optical band gaps of the films are evaluated from absorption spectrum studies. Direct transition energy gaps are determined from Tauc plots. The structural changes of polythiophene upon doping and the reduction of optical band gap are explained on the basis of the results obtained from FTIR spectroscopy, UV–V
... Show More