Surface modifications and optical variations of (−1 1 1) lattice oriented CuO nanofilms for solar energy applications

• The films are grown using a low cost SILAR method.
• The pH value is found to play a significant role in the property of the resulting films.
• The fabrication of band pass filters between 450 nm and 1000 nm is envisaged.
• Electrical conductivity and optical band gap values were found to be 68.1 × 10−3 Ω−1 cm−1 and 1.08 eV.
• Coating may aid the small band of frequencies could pave way for enhancing the efficiency.

This paper reports on the preparation and characterization of Successive Ionic Layer by Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) grown CuO thin films. The films were deposited onto glass substrates at various solution pH values. The thickness of the film is increased with increase of solution pH values. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the prepared films exhibited the monoclinic structure with (−1 1 1) predominant orientation. The optimized pH value is 11 ± 0.1. The microstructure, morphology, optical and electrical properties are studied and reported. The transmission spectra (T) at normal incidence revealed that the films exhibit indirect transitions and may be tailored for passing selected bands of frequencies in visible near IR range. The activation energy is estimated to be about 0.29 eV.

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