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Investigation on physical properties of CuO and SnO2: F mixed oxide sprayed thin films for photocatalytic application: coupling effect between oxides

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Abstract

This article presents the synthesis and characterization of CuO–SnO2: F mixed oxide thin films using the spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrates. The study focuses on optimizing the structural, optical, and electrical properties of the films by varying the molar ratios of copper and tin. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the polycrystalline nature of the films, with a combination of monoclinic CuO and tetragonal SnO2 phases observed. AFM analysis show a remarkably rough surface with a pronounced roughness measuring approximately 150 nm. The band gap energy was found to vary from 3.95 to 3.57 eV as the molar ratio of tin decreased. The molar ratio also had a significant impact on the electrical properties of the films. Additionally, the photocatalytic activity of the optimized thin films was evaluated by measuring the degradation of MB dye under sunlight illumination. The results showed that the thin films prepared with a molar ratio of 75% copper exhibited higher photocatalytic activity compared to pure oxides. Furthermore, these films demonstrated higher stability after 5 cycles, with minimal changes observed in X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We have shown that photocatalytic degradation of organic dye is better, by using mixed oxide system, than that for each oxide separately (SnO2 and CuO). These findings suggest that the optimized CuO–SnO2: F mixed oxide thin films have potential use in photocatalysis devices for industrial applications.

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  1. Faculté Des Sciences de Tunis, Département de Physique, LR99ES13Laboratoire de Physique de La Matière Condensée (LPMC), Université Tunis El Manar, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia

    Ghofrane Charrada, Mejda Ajili, Neila Jebbari & Najoua Turki Kamoun

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All authors have participated to the development of this work. Contribution to the experimental study, search information and results discussion were effected by G. Charrada, M. Ajili, N. Jebbari and N. Kamoun. The first copy of the manuscript was written by G. Charrada and all authors contributed to the correction of this manuscript. All authors approved the final version of this article.

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Charrada, G., Ajili, M., Jebbari, N. et al. Investigation on physical properties of CuO and SnO2: F mixed oxide sprayed thin films for photocatalytic application: coupling effect between oxides. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 35, 685 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-024-12453-3

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