SnO2 and Sn0.95M0.05O2 [M=Fe, Co and Cu] thin films: synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic activity

On discussed the relationship between the nature of dopant (Cu, Co, Fe)-SnO2 and their structural, morphological, optical, electrical, and photocatalysts characteristics. We prepared the films on glass substrates using the spray pyrolysis technique. Detailed analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that all obtained thin films crystallized in a rutile tetragonal structure. A homogeneous and compact surface with an important dimension of grains was revealed by observation (SEM) for the doped films. The transmittance spectra results indicated that the layers are dependent on the doping nature and that the doping leads to a broadening of the calculated bandgap. Lastly, the Seebeck coefficient rises from │76│for undoped SnO2 to │110│for Co-doping, │133│for Cu-doping, and declines with Fe- doping (│71│µV/K). While the concentration of carriers decreases by 1.96×10¹⁹, 9.80×10¹⁸, and 6. 66×10¹⁸ cm-³ for SnO2, Sn0.95Co0.05O2, and Sn0.95 Cu 0.05O2 thin films, respectively, and increased for Fe doping (6.17 ×10¹⁹ cm-³). These electrical properties indicated that the resistivity is affected by the nature of the doping. For the photocatalytic tests, the best performance was observed for samples Sn0.90Fe0.05 O2 (45% rate of degradation).