Improvements in the physicochemical and electrical characteristics of BaO nanoparticles by Cu doping for electronic device applications

This work demonstrated the effects of Cu2+ ion doping on the morphological, structural, vibrational, optical, dielectric, and electrical characteristics of barium oxide (BaO) nanoparticles. The XRD analysis revealed the high purity and crystallinity of the prepared Cu doped BaO samples. The crystallite size of the Cu doped BaO nanoparticles was in the range of 6.51 nm to 8.49 nm and increased as the Cu2+ increased. The SEM micrographs revealed the irregular and spongy like morphology of the Cu doped BaO samples. Agglomeration and porosity were decreased due to the addition of Cu2+ doping content. Raman spectra revealed the enhancement in the vibrational bands with the Cu2+ substitution. The FTIR study showed the band obtained between 680-880 cm-1 and were attributed to Ba-O bonding vibrations which confirm the formation of BaO samples. FTIR and Raman spectra results are in the good agreement with XRD results. Optical characteristics were examined through UV-Vis spectra, results revealed that band gap was declined from 1.41 eV to 1.20 eV because the incorporation of Cu2+ ions in BaO lattice. The electrical properties revealed that conductivity increased from 2.39 x 10-7 S cm-1 to 4.44 x 10-4 S cm-1 while resistivity decreased from 4.18 x 106 11 cm to 2.25 x 103 11 cm with the increase of Cu2+ content up to 2%. The dielectric study revealed that dielectric constant value reduced with the increase of Cu2+ concentration. The obtained structural, morphological, vibrational, electrical, dielectric, and optical characteristics of the BaO nanoparticles with Cu2+ doping content make them a promising material for the electronic device applications.