Unraveling the impact of potassium doping on the structure, optical, and electric properties of CdO nanopowder

Abstract It has been proven that alkali metals significantly influence the optical, electrical, and dielectric properties of transparent oxide. To that end, potassium (K) was employed as a substitutional dopant in the CdO matrix, and the influence of K on the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties was widely studied. Pure CdO and K-doped CdO nanoparticles (K = 0.0, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06 mol) were synthesized via a facile co-precipitation method. XRD analysis indicated a cubic face center structure formed with the Fm3m (225) space group. A further establishment of the formation of CdO was recognized from CdO peaks in Fourier transform Infrared measurement(FTIR). The grain size declined with the increase in k concertation, as established by the size-strain method and HRTEM micrographs. HRTEM morphology investigation revealed the formation of nanoparticles adopting semi-hexagonal and spherical shapes. The UV–Vis-NIR spectra analysis exhibited K content played an important role in the optical parameters like reflectance, and band gap (E g ) CdO nanostructured. The obtained optical energy band gap was found to be increased due to potassium doping . The variation of dielectric properties of various CdO nanostructures with K doping concentrations was studied as a function of frequency and temperature and it was found to be enhanced with the inclusion of K. Finally, a small amount of potassium doping into CdO led to a significant varaiation in optical and the electrical properties, making it very effective in optoelectronic and electrical applications