Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocrystalline Ba-doped Mn3O4 Hausmannite Thin Films for Optoelectronic Applications

In the present work, nanocrystalline hausmannite Mn3O4:Ba thin films have been deposited on glass substrates by chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP). Then, we investigated the impact of Ba doping concentrations on the structural, morphological and optical properties. The structural characteristics were investigated by X-ray diffraction technique and clearly show the films have a spinel Mn3O4 polycrystalline structure, the degree of crystallinity was improved by increasing Ba concentrations in Mn3O4 matrix with crystallite size range of 15-33nm. The lattice parameters, the unit cell volume and the (Mn-O) bond length of tetrahedral and octahedral sites, were varied by increasing Ba concentrations. SEM micrographs show that the films are homogeneous with nanoparticles dispersed on the surface with sizes range 30-132nm. The optical properties were estimated by UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer and exhibited that the optical transmittance and band gap were improved by increasing Ba doping concentration. Empirical equations were suggested to estimate some correlated variables with excellent agreement with the experimental data. The optimum condition was recorded in films doped with 3% of Ba where a better crystallinity, a preferable surface morphology and outstanding optical properties have been achieved.

Automated summary

Nanocrystalline hausmannite Mn3O4:Ba thin films were deposited on glass substrates by chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) in this study, and the impact of Ba doping concentrations on the structural, morphological, and optical properties was investigated. Increasing Ba concentrations led to improved crystallinity, surface morphology, optical transmittance, and band gap in the films. The experimental data were in excellent agreement with the suggested empirical equations, with the optimum condition observed in films doped with 3% Ba.