Low concentration rare earth doping (Nd) and its effect on structural properties of titania thin films

The work focuses on investigating the influence of low concentration (0?0.6 at %) rare earth Neodymium (Nd) as dopant on structural properties of titania (TiO2) thin films. The thin films were deposited on glass substrates using spin coating method followed by thermal annealing at 350 ?C and 450 ?C, respectively. The surface morphology of the films was studied using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) to check the influence of Nd dopant and annealing temperature on the grain growth. Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX) was used to confirm the presence of Nd dopant in Nd doped titania thin films. The chemical properties of titania doped with Nd thin films were determined through X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The core level information of constituent elements was gathered from this measurement. A shift in high resolution spectra of Ti2p and O1s towards higher binding energies was observed on doping.

Automated summary

The research focuses on the influence of neodymium as a dopant on the structural properties of titania thin films, examining the effects of doping and annealing temperature on grain growth through various characterization techniques. The presence of neodymium in the doped films was confirmed using EDAX, while XPS was used to analyze the chemical properties and observe a shift in binding energies of Ti2p and O1s spectra upon doping.