Transparent conductive oxides have recently been used in solar cells. Hence, transparent conductive oxide, especially SnO2:F (FTO) is considered promising by researchers for solar cell applications due to its inexpensive and efficiency. In the current research, a sol-gel combustion technique was used to prepare fluorine-doped tin dioxide (FTO) powder. Stannous chloride pentahydrate, ammonium fluoride, and citric acid as fuel were used with various ratios of fuel to salt and different pH values. The structure, morphology, and composition of the synthesized powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results revealed that the average particle size increased from 125 nm to 300 nm with morphological transformation as the pH value increased from 1 to 6, respectively and the average particle size decreased from 125 nm to 50 nm with round morphology as the fuel to salt ratio decreased from 2 to 1. The presence of fluorine additive in the optimal sample with 50 nm particle size was determined by XPS and it can be a suitable candidate for use in solar cells.
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
Ceramics used in the Environment, Water and Energy Received: 2022/08/6 | Accepted: 2022/12/11