Fabrication of Highly Conductive Carbon-Doped Cadmium Oxides Based on a Simple Annealing Method

Abstract

A highly conductive carbon-doped cadmium oxide (CdO) has been fabricated by a catalyst free, compatible and low-cost one-step technique using an annealing method. In the process, the cadmium acetate was used directly as a precursor, and no further assistance from chemicals, multiple steps or instruments was needed. The morphology and phase identification were confirmed by x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopy analyses. From the analyses, it was confirmed that the carbons are inserted at the vacant oxygen sites of the prepared CdO, and the Cd–C linking bridges play a significant role in increasing the electrical conductivity. The thin film prepared by the fabricated CdO showed an excellent electrical conductivity of 858.51 S/cm, suggesting that a highly conductive CdO material fabricated by a simple annealing method can serve as a good electrical conductor material. The thin film fabricated from the carbon-doped CdO material can be used for electrical applications such as solar cells, photo transistors, photo diodes and super capacitors.