Ni-doped CuO Research Articles

LSDA+U study on the electronic and anti-ferromagnetic properties of Ni-doped CuO and Cu-doped NiO

Doping is an effective way to improve the activity of photocatalysts. The effect of doping on the magnetic properties of some photocatalysts that are easily recycled was studied using the local spin density approximation (LSDA)+U method on typical divalent metal oxide semiconductors CuO, NiO, Ni-doped CuO, and Cu-doped NiO. It is found that the influence of Ni doping on the spatial structure of CuO and that of Cu doping on the spatial structure of NiO are negligible because of the similar radii of Ni2+ and Cu2+. The valence band and conduction band for Ni-doped CuO are clearly spin-split, corresponding to a net effective magnetic moment of µeff = 1.66 µB. This may improve the photocatalytic efficiency and raise the recycle rate of photocatalysts. In the Cu-doped NiO system, the presence of Cu 3d states near to the Fermi level increases the width of the valence band and narrows the band gap with respect to that in pure NiO. Beyond the Cu 3d states, within the band gap, appear two energy levels around the Fermi level, which may effectively separate the electron-hole pair and also lead to enhanced absorption of visible light and infrared light. It can be concluded that the observed changes in the band structure may be helpful for improving the activity of photocatalysts and the doped systems have net magnetic moments, meaning that they are easily recycled and can be reused.

Modification of electrical and optical properties of CuO thin films by Ni doping

Undoped and Ni-doped CuO thin films were deposited onto glass substrates using a spin-coating technique at different doping concentrations (undoped, 2, 4, 6, and 10 %). X-ray diffraction patterns for undoped and Ni-doped CuO thin films indicated that the films were polycrystalline, with preferential growth in the (002), (111), and (−311) directions. Atomic force microscopy images revealed that the surface morphologies of the films were not uniform. Scanning electron microscopy images confirmed the presence of agglomerated particles on the surfaces; the coverage increased with the doping level. A Hall effect system with a van der Pauw configuration was used to investigate the electrical properties of the CuO films. The free charge carrier concentration decreased and hole mobility increased with increasing Ni concentration, with the exception of the 10 % Ni-doped CuO sample. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy measurements of the film samples indicated an average transmittance of 30–40 % in the visible range. The optical band gap decreased slightly for low-level doping and increased from 2.03 to 2.22 eV for 10 % Ni incorporation. The electrical and optical properties of the CuO films were modified by Ni doping, i.e. the band gap decreased and the mobility increased almost linearly, with the exception of the 10 % Ni-doped sample. SEM images of a undoped b 2 % c 4 % d 6 %, and e 10 % Ni-doped CuO thin films.

Structural, morphological, optical, and magnetic properties of Ni-doped CuO nanostructures prepared by a rapid microwave combustion method

In the present paper, we report a facile and rapid microwave-assisted combustion synthesis method for the preparation of pure and Ni-doped CuO nanostructures with different weight ratios (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 at wt% of Ni). The structure and morphology of the pure and Ni-doped CuO samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). XRD patterns refined by the Rietveld method indicated the formation of single-phase monoclinic structure and also confirmed that Ni ions are successfully doped into CuO crystal lattice by occupying Cu ionic sites. Interestingly, the morphology was found to transform substantially from nanoflowers to nanoparticles with close-packed periodic array, and then into nanocrystals with the variation of Ni content. The optical band gap estimated using DRS was found to be 3.9eV for pure CuO and then increases up to 4.3eV with increasing Ni content. PL spectra at room temperature showed a strong green emission band, and thereby confirmed the above results. Magnetic measurements reveal a room temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) with an optimum value of saturation magnetization of 1.3140×10−3emu/g for 2.0wt% of Ni.