Facile synthesis and optical characterization of CuO/Cu(OH)2 thin film

Abstract

Although CuO is known to exhibit notable features, its application in solar cells is constrained by its low bandgap energy. In this study, we show how the optical, morphological, and structural characteristics of CuO/Cu(OH)2 synthesized by the chemical bath technique are affected by the molar concentration. The molar concentrations were varied between 0.15 M, 0.10 M, and 0.05 M. Utilizing a UV–vis spectroscope, X-ray diffraction (XRD) diffractometry, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the optical, structural, and morphological characteristics of the CuO/Cu(OH)2 film were investigated. XRD analysis unequivocally confirms the presence of monoclinic and orthorhombic structures of CuO and Cu(OH)2. Moreover, SEM scans reveal that the particle sizes are uniformly distributed, indicating the effectiveness of our synthesis approach. The optical properties of these materials are equally promising, with a high transmittance spectrum of 92.5% and low reflectance. Notably, all samples exhibit wide bandgap energy, which is a critical factor in various applications, particularly in photovoltaics. Specifically, we observe bandgap energies of 2.65 eV for 0.15 M, 2.92 eV for 0.10 M, and 3.12 eV for 0.05 M concentrations. These findings hold significant promise for the advancement of materials used in solar cells and other optoelectronic devices, potentially overcoming the limitations associated with CuO's inherently low bandgap energy.