Light-weight and flexible Ni-doped CuO (Ni:CuO) thin films grown using the cost-effective SILAR method for future technological requests

Products based on nanostructured flexible thin films, which are anticipated to make their way into our lifetimes in the near future. Therefore, nanostructured metal-oxide thin-film materials grown on flexible substrates are anticipated to meet emerging technological requests. In this article, we present a promising light-weight and flexible thin-film material using un-doped and Ni-doped CuO samples. Ni:CuO flexible thin-film materials were fabricated by using the cost-effective SILAR method on cellulose acetate substrates and the effects of both Ni doping and bending on the change in electrical and optoelectronic performances were investigated. It is observed that Ni doping has a great impact on the main physical properties of flexible CuO samples. The optical bandgap value of the un-doped CuO film improves with increasing Ni ratio in the growth bath. Also, sheet resistance values of the un-doped and Ni:CuO samples are a little affected due to bending of samples for bending radius similar to 20 mm. These flexible all solution-processed nanostructured CuO samples are promising candidates for use in future optoelectronic applications.

Automated summary

This study presents a light-weight and flexible thin-film material using un-doped and Ni-doped CuO samples. The effects of Ni doping and bending on the electrical and optoelectronic performances were investigated. It was found that Ni doping improves the optical bandgap of the CuO film, while bending has little effect on the sheet resistance. These flexible nanostructured CuO samples show promise for future optoelectronic applications.