Enhancement of DC conductivity of CuBO2 by incorporation of sulfur

Abstract

Pure and sulfur doped CuBO2 samples were prepared targeting enhanced conductivity in the novel delafossite. The probability of enhanced conductivity was theoretically predicted via first principle-based studies. Effective replacement of oxygen in CuBO2 with a less electronegative element could lead to higher mobility of s-p bonding electrons. This may in turn enhance the conductivity of the doped delafossite. All samples were prepared via chemical route and their crystalline phase purity was confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The morphologies of the samples were studied using field enhanced scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The incorporation of sulfur in the host CuBO2 system was confirmed via x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Finally, all samples were studied for their conductivity related properties under dark and UV irradiation, it was observed that conductivity of CuBO2 enhanced from 3.15 × 10−8 s-cm−1 to 8.13 × 10−7 s-cm−1 due to sulfur doping.