Band Gap Modulation and Optical Property Enhancement in Sn-Doped CuO Nanostructures for Advanced Optoelectronic Applications

Optical properties play a crucial role in diverse applications. However, the optical characteristics of materials are determined by their structure and composition. This study focused on nanostructured materials, which exhibit enhanced optical properties compared to their bulk counterparts. Specifically, copper oxide (CuO) and Sn-doped CuO materials were experimentally synthesized using the hydrothermal method. The CuO and Sn-doped CuO nanostructure materials were subsequently compared, and their optical characteristics and structural composition were investigated using various analytical techniques, including photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). A significant finding of this study is that doping can be utilized to modulate the band gap of materials and enhance their optical characteristics. The investigation revealed that CuO has a band gap of 2.5 eV. However, doping decreased the band gap; the band gap of synthesized CuO is 3.1 eV, which decreases with the doping of Sn to 2.1 eV, consequently improving the material's optical characteristics. This experimental investigation in optics demonstrates the enhancement of a material's optical qualities through band gap reduction via doping. Furthermore, potential real-world applications for these materials in fabricating LEDs and photodetectors were discussed. With their improved optical characteristics, these materials could be utilized in various optical applications such as sensors, displays, and solar cells. In conclusion, this study contributes to the existing knowledge regarding enhancing optical properties in nanostructured materials and their potential applications in real-world contexts. Received: 12 May 2024 | Revised: 27 November 2024 | Accepted: 31 March 2025 Conflicts of Interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to this work. Data Availability Statement Data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Author Contribution Statement Muhammad Idrees: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Salman Khan: Software, Validation, Investigation, Visualization, Supervision, Project administration. Saddam Hussain: Software, Validation, Investigation, Visualization, Supervision, Project administration.