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Tailoring the Microstructural, Optical, and Electrical Properties of Nanocrystalline WO3 Thin Films Using Al Doping

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Abstract

We have studied the influence of Al doping on the microstructural, optical, and electrical properties of spray-deposited WO3 thin films. XRD analyses confirm that all the films are of polycrystalline WO3 in nature, possessing monoclinic structure. EDX profiles of the Al-doped films show aluminum peaks implying incorporation of Al ions into WO3 lattice. On Al doping, the average crystallite size decreases due to increase in the density of nucleation centers at the time of film growth. The observed variation in the lattice parameter values on Al doping is attributed to the incorporation of Al ions into WO3 lattice. Enhancement in the direct optical band gap compared to the undoped film has been observed on Al doping due to decrease in the width of allowed energy states near the conduction band edge. The refractive indices of the films follow the Cauchy relation of normal dispersion. Electrical resistivity compared to the undoped film has been found to increase on Al doping.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Dr. K.K. Verma, Department of Physics & Electronics, Dr. RML Avadh University, Faizabad, India, for providing XRD facilities. They would wish to further express their gratitude to Professor M. Aslam and Dr. Ajay Kushwaha, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India for providing SEM and AFM measurement facilities. Financial support provided by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India, in the form of a major research project (No. 40-450/2011 (SR)) is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, 211 004, India

    Ramnayan Mukherjee & P. P. Sahay

  2. Center for Nano Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India

    C. S. Prajapati

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  1. Ramnayan Mukherjee
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  2. C. S. Prajapati
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Correspondence to P. P. Sahay.

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Mukherjee, R., Prajapati, C.S. & Sahay, P.P. Tailoring the Microstructural, Optical, and Electrical Properties of Nanocrystalline WO3 Thin Films Using Al Doping. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 23, 3141–3151 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-014-1094-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-014-1094-5

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