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

This work demonstrated the effects of Cu 2+ 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 Cu 2+ 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 Cu 2+ doping content. Raman spectra revealed the enhancement in the vibrational bands with the Cu 2+ 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 Cu 2+ ions in BaO lattice. The electrical properties revealed that conductivity increased from 2.39×10 −7 S cm −1 to 4.44×10 −4 S cm −1 while resistivity decreased from 4.18×10 6 Ω cm to 2.25×10 3 Ω cm with the increase of Cu 2+ content up to 2%. The dielectric study revealed that dielectric constant value reduced with the increase of Cu 2+ concentration. The obtained structural, morphological, vibrational, electrical, dielectric, and optical characteristics of the BaO nanoparticles with Cu 2+ doping content make them a promising material for the electronic device applications.