Investigation the Structure and Linear/Nonlinear Spectroscopic Performance of Fe:Co3O4/TiO2 Nanostructured Heterojunctions

The structure and linear/nonlinear spectroscopic performance of Fe:Co3O4/TiO2 (FCTO) nanostructured heterojunctions (HJs) were investigated. Pure TiO2 nanostructures and FCTO nanostructured HJs were synthesized by spray pyrolysis technique. The surfaces morphology of the samples was examined utilizing a scanning electron microscope. Energy-dispersive X-ray measurements were performed to confirm the content of the prepared FCTO HJs. The structures' variations and bonding were explored with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction measurements were carried out to study the crystallinity, structures, and lattice parameters, revealing that the pure TiO2 nanostructures have a tetragonal crystalline structure with an anatase phase, while the Fe:Co3O4 layer possesses a cubic crystalline structure. XRD analysis also showed that the crystallite size increases from 15.9 nm (pure TiO2) to 25.4 nm (FCTO HJ). Optical performance was studied via UV-visible-NIR measurements. The optical parameters of the FCTO HJs were investigated and the nonlinear optical performance of the prepared samples was assessed. Great enhancement of the linear/nonlinear optical performance of the FCTO HJs was achieved compared with the pure TiO2 nanostructures. The results reveal that the Fe:Co3O4/TiO2 nanostructured HJs are recommended for many visible spectrum applications.