Najoua Kamoun Turki

This study investigated the enhancement of Cu₂MnSnS₄ (CMTS) thin films’ photocatalytic properties through potassium (K) doping for rhodamine B degradation under visible light. K-doped CMTS films synthesized using spray pyrolysis technology achieved a 98% degradation efficiency within 120 min. The physical property improvements were quantitatively validated through X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, which confirmed enhanced crystallinity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed significant modifications in surface morphology as a function of potassium content, highlighting its influence on film growth dynamics. Optical characterization demonstrated a pronounced reduction in transmittance, approaching negligible values at 7.5% potassium doping, and a narrowed optical band gap of 1.41 eV, suggesting superior light absorption capabilities. Photocatalytic performance was significantly enhanced, achieving a Rhodamine B degradation efficiency of up to 98% at 7.5% doping. These enhancements collectively improved the material’s light-harvesting capabilities and charge separation efficiency, positioning K-doped CMTS as a highly effective photocatalyst compared to other ternary and quaternary materials.

In this work, the effects of silver doping with different Ag/(Ag + Cu) ratios (i.e., 2%, 5% and 10% at.% in the spray solution) on the structural, morphological, optical, electrical and antibacterial properties of Cu₂MgSnS₄ (CMTS) thin film grown by spray pyrolysis have been studied. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) results have shown that the kesterite phase of CMTS thin films has a maximum crystallite size of about 19.60 nm for 5% Ag/(Ag + Cu). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images have shown spherical grain shapes. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) microscopy observations confirmed the intrinsic reticular planes of CMTS thin film with (112) as a preferred orientation and interplanar spacing value of 3.1 Å. The optical properties showed high absorbance and an absorption coefficient of about 10⁴ cm⁻¹ in the visible region with an optical band gap energy of 1.51 eV. Impedance analysis spectroscopy demonstrated good electrical properties of the CMTS film obtained using 5% Ag/(Ag + Cu). The antibacterial activity of the undoped and Ag-doped particles of CMTS obtained using 5% Ag/(Ag + Cu) against different strains of pathogenic bacteria was tested using the agar well diffusion method. These results showed a significant antibacterial activity of the Ag-doped CMTS particle, which was much higher than the undoped CMTS particles. These experimental findings may open new practices for the Ag-doped CMTS compound, especially the one obtained using 5% Ag/(Ag + Cu), in antibacterial application.

The current work deals with the fabrication of novel MoO₃ nanostructured films with Ce and Cu co-doping through the spray pyrolysis route on a glass substrate maintained at 460 °C for the first time. The phase of developed films was approved by an X-ray diffraction study, and the crystallite size was determined between 82 and 92 nm. The optical transmission of the developed films was noticed to be reduced with doping and found between 45 and 90% for all films, and the absorption edge shifted to a higher wavelength with doping. The optical energy gap of the fabricated films was found to be reduced from 3.85 to 3.28 eV with doping. The developed films were used to degrade the harmful Eosin-Y dye under UV light. The system with 2% Ce and 1% Cu-doped MoO₃ turned out to be the most effective catalyst for photodegradation of the dye in a period of 3H and almost degrade it. Hence, the MoO₃ films prepared with 2% Ce and 1% Cu will be highly applicable as photocatalysts for the removal of hazardous dye from wastewater.

Undoped and Mg-doped (y = [Mg²⁺]/[Fe³⁺] = 1, 2, 3, and 4 at.%) Fe₂O₃ thin films were synthesized by a simple spray pyrolysis technique. The thin films were extensively characterized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis confirmed the successful insertion of Mg in the rhombohedral structure of Fe₂O₃. In addition, scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and confocal microscope (CM) images showed a homogenous texture of the film, which was free of defects. The rough surface of the film obtained by spray pyrolysis is an important feature for photocatalysis and gas sensor applications. The direct band gap of the doped Fe₂O₃ films obtained for [Mg²⁺]/[Fe³⁺] = 3 at.% was E_dir = 2.20 eV, which recommends the Mg-doped iron oxide as an optical window or buffer layer in solar cell devices. The photodegradation performance of Mg-doped Fe₂O₃ was assessed by studying the removal of methylene blue (MB) under sunlight irradiation, with an effective removal efficiency of 90% within 180 min. The excellent photodegradation activity was attributed to the strong absorption of Mg-doped Fe₂O₃ in the UV and most of the visible light, and to the effective separation of photogenerated charge carriers.

Magnesium oxide (MgO) thin films with different magnesium concentrations ([Mg²⁺] = 0.05, 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2 mol·L⁻¹) in a spray solution have been successfully grown using a spray pyrolysis technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Maud software, FTIR spectroscopy, a confocal microscope, Wien2k software, spectrophotometry and a Photoluminescence spectrometer were used to investigate the structural, morphological and optical properties. XRD analysis revealed a better crystalline quality of the MgO thin layer synthesized with [Mg²⁺] = 0.15 mol·L⁻¹, which crystallized into a face-centered cubic structure along the preferred orientation (200) lattice plan. The enhancement of the crystalline quality for the MgO thin film ([Mg²⁺] = 0.15 mol·L⁻¹) was obtained, which was accompanied by an increment of 94.3 nm of the crystallite size. No secondary phase was detected and the purity phase of the MgO thin film was confirmed using Maud software. From the transmission spectra results, high transparent and antireflective properties of the MgO thin film were observed, with an average transmission value of about 91.48% in the visible range, which can be used as an optical window or buffer layer in solar cell applications. The films also have a high reflectance value in the IR range, which indicates that the highly reflective surface will prevent an increase in surface temperature under solar irradiation, which could be beneficial in solar cell applications. A direct band gap type was estimated using the Tauc relation which is close to the experimental value of 4.0 eV for optimal growth. The MgO material was tested for the degradation of methylene blue (MB), which reached a high photodegradation rate of about 83% after 180 min under sunlight illumination. These experimental trends open a new door for promising the removal of water contaminants for photocatalysis application.

The aim of this work is the production and the characterisation of (SnO₂: (Mn, F)) thin films with appropriate optoelectronic properties required for application as ohmic contacts in photovoltaic application devices. Transparent conducting Manganese-fluorine co-doped tin oxide (SnO₂: (Mn, F)) thin films have been deposited onto preheated glass substrates using the chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) method. The ([Mn²⁺]/[Sn⁴⁺]) atomic concentration ratio (y) in the spray solution is varied between 0 and 8 at. %. The structural, the opto-electrical and the photoluminescence properties of these thin films have been studied. It is found that the deposited thin films are polycrystalline with a tetragonal crystal structure corresponding to SnO₂ phase having a preferred orientation along the (200) plane. Transmission and reflection spectra reveal the presence of interference fringes indicating the thickness uniformity and the surface homogeneity of the deposited samples. Photoluminescence behaviour of Mn-F co-doped SnO₂ thin films was also studied. Photoluminescence spectra reveal the presence of the defects like oxygen vacancies in the materials. In addition, The electrical resistivity, volume carrier concentration, surface carrier concentration and electrical mobility were determined from Hall Effect measurements and the following results were obtained: n-type conductivity in all the deposited thin films, a low resistivity of 1.50×10^-4 Ω cm, and a high electrical mobility of 45.40 cm² V^-1 s^-1 with Mn co-doping concentration equals to 7 at. %. These experimental results show that the electrical properties of these thin films where greatly improved making them suitable as ohmic contacts in photovoltaic applications devices.

The molybdenum oxide (MoO₃) and MoO₃@SiO₂ nanoparticles were successfully prepared using the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The photocatalytic activities of molybdenum oxide (MoO₃), SiO₂, and MoO₃@SiO₂ nanoparticles composite have shown a synergistic photocatalytic effect of SiO₂ combined with MoO₃. The first-order degradation rate constants for MoO₃, SiO₂, and MoO₃@SiO₂ nanocomposite were 10.3 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹, 15.1 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹, and 16.3 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹, respectively. The MoO₃@SiO₂ composite showed degradation efficiencies in the methylene blue solution close to 100% after 60 min of UV irradiation. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the MoO₃ powder has a hexagonal crystal structure and the silica is the tridymite type of SiO₂. The crystallite size was about 94 nm, 32 nm, and 125 nm for MoO₃, silica, and MoO₃@SiO₂, respectively, as calculated by the Scherrer equation. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the MoO₃ powder consisted of a uniform hexagonal structure; the silica showed a rod-like micro-flake morphology and the MoO₃@SiO₂ composite had the appearance of coral-like structures.

Undoped as well as (Co, Mn) co-doped Zinc oxides have been effectively developed on glass substrates, taking advantage of the spray pyrolysis procedure. The X-ray diffraction XRD as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements have recognized a pure hexagonal wurtzite form of ZnO, and no other collateral phases such as MnO₂ or CoO₂ have been observed as a result of doping. The calculated values of the texture coefficient (TC) were between 0.15 and 5.14, indicating a dominant orientation along the (002) plane. The crystallite size (D) varies with the (Co, Mn) contents. The dislocation density (δ) as well as the residual microstrains increased after Co and Mn doping. Furthermore, the surface morphology of the films has been affected significantly by the Co and Mn incorporation, as shown by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigation. The study of the optical properties exhibits a red shift of the band gap energy (E_g) with the (Co, Mn) co-doping. The magnetic measurements have shown that the undoped and (Co, Mn) co-doped ZnO thin films displayed room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM).