Sonochemical synthesis of Cu-doped CdO nanostructures and investigation of their physical properties

In this paper, the effects of Cu dopant on CdO nanostructures grown through sonochemical method were investigated. Diffraction pattern analysis was determined CdO by the cubic structure for produced samples. Scanning electron microscope images showed that in the presence of Cu, the morphology of samples changed and the mean size of structures reduced. Transmission electron microscope has been used to compare the morphology and distribution size of un- and Cu-doped CdO nanostructures. Optical properties showed that there are different emission bands due to various transitions and emissions. Also, optical energy band gap value of the doped nanostructures is found to be in the range of 2.24-2.70 eV which reveals the presence of a blue shift. Electrical characterization also showed the lowest concentration of Cu dopant can create optimal electrical properties. It was found that Cu-doped CdO samples exhibited high photocurrent response as compared with the un-doped sample. Also we have seen n-type conductivity for obtained CdO nanostructures.