Green synthesis of CuNb2O6 thin film using allium cepa as catalyst

Emeka Charles Nwanna, Patrick Ehi Imoisili, Sarah Bitire, Tien Chien Jen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to synthesize and characterize a novel green synthesis of copper niobate (CuNb2O6) thin film using copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO4 · 5H2O), an organometallic precursor of bis(cyclopentadienyl) niobium (IV) dichloride (C10H10Cl2Nb), using Allium cepa as a catalyst. The synthesized thin film was characterized using the XRD, EDX, SEM FTIR, UVvis, and 4-point probe measurement. The XRD patterns of the thin film affirmed the formation of a pure monoclinic CuNb2O6 phase. Similarly, the SEM images illustrated the formation of the film and the different film microstructures. The EDX revealed that the thin film consisted of copper (Cu), niobium (Nb), and oxygen (O) elements. The thin film, however, possessed broad absorption in the Ultraviolet-Visible (UV–Vis) region with an absorption edge at 340 nm and an optical bandgap evaluated to be 3.18 eV. Also, the fabricated film’s transmittance ranged between 40% and 55%. A Raman shift of 690 cm−1 was identified at the CuNb2O6 film. The results obtained from the FTIR analysis demonstrated characteristic IR bands at 608 cm−1 and 940 cm−1 which indicated the formation of the Cu-O and Nb-O-Nb bonds. With the rising temperature, an increase in conductivity and a decrease in resistivity were noticed from the plots. This indicated that the synthesized CuNb2O6 thin film exhibited good semiconducting qualities. The prepared CuNb2O6 thin film thus possesses improved electrical properties and can therefore be effectively utilized in photovoltaic solar cells.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3610-3627
Number of pages18
JournalEnergy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization and Environmental Effects
Volume44
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Keywords

  • Thin film
  • allium cepa
  • copper niobate
  • spin coating
  • synthesize

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Nuclear Energy and Engineering
  • Fuel Technology
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology

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