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Jul 3, 2024Keywords:
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Main Article Content
Sol-gel synthesis and Microstructure Characterization of NiO-TiO2 Semiconductor
Abstract
NiO-TiO2 is a fascinating p-n semiconducting binary metal oxide with
unique electronic and optical properties. The NiO-TiO2 has been
synthesized using complicated preparation methods and expensive
precursors that hamper their large-scale production. The present
study reports the preparation of NiO-TiO2 semiconductor with
improved physicochemical properties. NiO-TiO2 samples were
prepared through one-pot sol-gel synthesis process followed by
sintering of the as-synthesized materials at temperatures ranging from
600 to 1000 °C. The role of thermal treatment and NiO content on the
microstructures was exquisitely studied. The microstructure of the
NiO-TiO2 samples was examined by Raman spectroscopy, XRD, XRF,
SEM-EDAX, high resolution TEM, and UV-visible DRS analyses. It
was revealed that the calcination temperature and the NiO content
were crucial factors influenced the crystallization temperature, phase
transformation, particle size and optical properties of the obtained
NiO-TiO2 systems. The incorporation of NiO in the TiO2
microstructure generated photoactive materials with band gap
energies ranging from 2.5 eV to 2.8 eV. NiTiO3 system was observed
in the calcined samples due to interaction of NiO and TiO2. Therefore,
in order to synthesize NiO-TiO2 semiconductors with appealing
physico-chemical properties the selection of precursors and
optimization of the preparation method and calcination temperature
are very important. The current study hence elucidates a facile onepot sol-gel approach to synthesize homogeneous binary metal oxide
systems with controlled morphology and crystal structure in the
absence of additives.
