Abstract
ZnO nanostructured thin layers doped with cobalt (0 %, 2 %, 4 %, and 6 %) were successfully deposited on glass substrates via nebulized spray pyrolysis. The XRD and FE-SEM analyses indicated that all samples exhibited a hexagonal wurtzite structure and a densely flaked microstructure in petal-like shapes. The EDX investigations confirmed Zn and O elements in all films and Co in doped samples. The Photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed Co-doping's impact on emission. In addition, ZnO thin film transparency decreased by an average of 26 % in the visible range after doping. With increased Co-doping, the band gap (Eg) slightly decreased while ferromagnetic behavior increased. Furthermore, with an increase in the Co doping level, the material's electrical resistivity increased significantly from 2.5 × 10³ to 5.3 × 105 Ω cm. We found that doping with Co enhances the photo-catalytic efficiency of ZnO under sunlight. The sample doped at 2 % Co shows the highest photo-degradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB), about 93 %.
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