Effect of molarity on the properties of CuO thin films prepared by air-pressurized spray pyrolysis

In the present study, we have investigated the impact of the molar concentration of the precursor solution on structural and optical properties of CuO thin films, deposited by air-pressurized spray pyrolysis technique. A set of CuO thin films samples were prepared with various molar concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 0.2 M at a substrate temperature of 300 degrees C. The film's structure and morphology were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The film's optical properties were studied using photoluminescence spectrophotometer (PL) and UV-visible spectroscopy. The obtained results indicate that molar concentration of the precursor solution is a key parameter for controlling the growth mechanism additional to the structural, optical and morphological properties of CuO thin films. An increase in molar concentration leads to an increment in the deposition rate and a reduction in the disorder of the films.