Exploration of Physical, Optical, and Electrical Properties of Mg-Doped CeO2 Nanoparticles for Photovoltaic Device Applications

In this study, we synthesized magnesium-doped cerium oxide (Ce1 – xMgxO2) Electron Transport layer material via a straightforward co-precipitation method, varying the Mg compositions. These variations yielded promising alterations in the physical, optical, and dielectric properties of Ce1 – xMgxO2 nanoparticles. The hexagonal structure of the Ce1 – xMgxO2 nanoparticles was confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), while their morphology and surface characteristics (including topography and roughness) were examined via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Ultraviolet-visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometry was employed to investigate the optical and electrical properties. The optical analysis revealed an increase in transmittance within the visible spectrum, ranging from 89 to 98%, accompanied by decreases in reflectance and absorbance. Moreover, energy bandgap (Eg) was enhanced 3.578–3.864 eV, while the Urbach energy (EU) diminished from 0.25–0.11 eV with varying Mg alignments. The augmentation in Mg substitution induced an growth in defect amount, consequently diminishing both DC and AC conductivity.