Comparative study of Pr-doped and undoped PbS nanostructures facilely synthesized for optoelectronic applications

Abstract

In this article, the structural, vibrational, optical, dielectric and electrical properties of undoped and Pr:PbS nanoparticles (NPs) have been discussed and found suitable for optoelectronic devices. The structural property of the prepared NPs was done by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and their microstructural parameters have been evaluated. The crystallite sizes, lattice strains and dislocations density were found in the range of 14–18 nm, 1.6 × 10−4-2.2 × 10−4 and 3.0 × 10−3-4.8 × 10−3 for the prepared NPs respectively. The obtained optical band gaps were found on the scale of 1.414, 1.494, 1.402, and 1.458 eV for undoped, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.5 wt % of Pr: PbS NPs respectively. The values of dielectric constant 22, 25, 26, and 39 at lower frequencies were reported for undoped, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.5 wt % Pr:PbS NPs respectively. Ideality factors such as 1.46, 1.42, 1.47, and 1.60 have been evaluated from the current-voltage characteristic of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.5 wt% Pr: PbS NPs respectively.