Sb Doping Concentration Research Articles

Antimony (Sb)-doped Bi2S3 nanorod films for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Bi2S3 is a promising material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting due to its favorable optoelectronic properties, abundance of non-toxic elements, and chemical stability. However, pure Bi2S3 exhibits low photocurrent efficiency due to charge recombination and slow charge transport. To enhance its performance, we doped antimony (Sb) into the Bi2S3 matrix, improving both its physical and PEC characteristics. The Sb doping concentration was varied from 0 to 3.1 at.% in Bi2S3 films, which were fabricated through chemical bath deposition followed by annealing. Undoped Bi2S3 formed nanorods with a direct bandgap of 1.26 eV and achieved a photocurrent density of 4.5 mA/cm2 at 1.0 V vs Ag/AgCl. Sb doping at 0.9 at.% increased both crystallite size and nanorod density, resulting in a bandgap of 1.43 eV and a photocurrent density of 7.0 mA/cm2. At higher Sb concentrations (2.2 to 3.1 at.%), the nanorod size further increased, while the bandgap decreased to 1.20 eV, with a corresponding increase in photocurrent density to 8.6 mA/cm2. These results demonstrate that Sb doping significantly enhances the nanorod density, photocurrent, and stability of Bi2S3 photoelectrodes.

Antimony-Doped Wide Bandgap Molybdenum Trioxide with Enhanced Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance for Nitrogen Photofixation.

Plasmonic metal oxides are promising photocatalysts for the artificial photosynthesis of green ammonia due to localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) enhanced photoconversion and rich surface oxygen vacancies improved chemisorption and activation of dinitrogen molecules. However, these oxygen vacancies are unstable during the photocatalytic process and could be oxidized by photogenerated holes, leading to the vanishing of the LSPR. Here, we fabricated antimony-doped molybdenum trioxide nanosheets with stable plasmonic absorption extending into the near-infrared (NIR) range, even after harsh treatment in oxidative atmospheric conditions at high temperatures. For undoped plasmonic MoO3-x nanosheets, the LSPR originates from the abundant oxygen vacancies that vanish after heat treatment at high temperatures in air, leading to the disappearance of the LSPR absorption. Sb doping does not significantly increase the concentration of oxygen vacancies while donating more free electrons because Sb can keep a lower oxidation state. Heat treatment diminished the oxygen vacancies while not affecting the low oxidation state of Sb. As a result, heat-treated Sb-doped MoO3-x nanosheets still show strong LSPR absorption in the NIR range. Both experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrated that add-on states close to the Fermi level are formed due to the Sb doping and high concentration of oxygen vacancies. The prepared samples were used for photocatalytic nitrogen reduction and showed an LSPR-dependent photocatalytic performance. The present work has provided an effective strategy to stabilize the LSPR of plasmonic semiconductor photocatalysts.

Investigations of structural, optical and transport property of Sb-doped SnO2 compounds for optoelectronics application

Recently extensive research into the potential uses of oxide materials doped with non-magnetic elements in optoelectronic and spintronic devices has been carried out. In this work, the structural, optical and transport property of the Sn1−xSbxO2 (x = 0–0.10) compounds were studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, UV–vis photo-spectrometer and Hall-effect measurements. For preparation of the samples, the solid-state reaction technique was utilized. Based on the measurement and analysis of the XRD data, it was revealed that these prepared materials were crystallized in a single tetragonal rutile phase of SnO2. Moreover, the XRD data indicated that the solubility limit of Sb was only upto 8 % and thereafter secondary phase of Sb2O3 starts to appear. Using the equation developed by Debye and Scherrer, it was discovered that these samples had an average crystallite size that fell somewhere in the range of 32–36 nm. The microstructural investigation using a scanning electron microscope show a nano meter range sphere-shaped morphology. The rutile phase of SnO2 has been reconfirmed by Raman spectroscopy, and it further shows that there is no lattice disorder upon inclusion of Sb into the SnO2 lattice. An analysis of the optical property by means of a UV–vis Photo-spectrometer indicates that the value of optical band gap reduces as the amount of Sb doping in the material increases. Whereas, the optical transmittance value was found to decrease. The Hall effect measurement indicate the p-type behaviour of these samples and the carrier concentration of holes rises with Sb doping concentration.

Tailoring Sb doping concentration to achieve p-type nanostructured ZnO thin film grown by sol–gel method

Tailoring Sb doping concentration to achieve p-type nanostructured ZnO thin film grown by sol–gel method

Optical and electrical properties of Sb-doped β-Ga2O3 crystals grown by OFZ method

Sb-doped β-Ga2O3 crystals were grown using the optical floating zone (OFZ) method. X-ray diffraction data and X-ray rocking curves were obtained, and the results revealed that the Sb-doped single crystals were of high quality. Raman spectra revealed that Sb substituted Ga mainly in the octahedral lattice. The carrier concentration of the Sb-doped single crystals increased from 9.55×1016 to 8.10×1018 cm-3, the electronic mobility depicted a decreasing trend from 153.1 to 108.7 cm2 ·V-1 ·s-1, and the electrical resistivity varied from 0.603 to 0.017 Ω·cm with the increasing Sb doping concentration. The un-doped and Sb-doped β-Ga2O3 crystals exhibited good light transmittance in the visible region; however, the evident decrease in the infrared region was caused by increase in the carrier concentration. The Sb-doped β-Ga2O3 single crystals had high transmittance in the UV region as well, and the cutoff edge appeared at 258 nm.

Impact of Sb-insertion on structural, optical, and dielectric characteristics of the PbI2 thin film

Antimony (Sb) has been widely used as an additive in solar cells for enhanced performance. We described a simple, affordable, solution-processed approach for producing pure and antimony (Sb3+)-doped lead iodide (PbI2) thin films with varying doping ratios (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0%). Structural, optical, and dielectric properties were investigated using XRD and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The XRD spectra illustrated that the synthesized PbI2 thin films have a preferred orientation along the c-axis (001) with a hexagonal structure. The crystalline sizes of PbI2 increased by increasing the Sb-doping concentration up to 1%, then decreased with 2% and 3% Sb-doping. In the visible and NIR regions, the optical transparency of the grown films were in between 70 and 80%. The optical band gap changes inversely with the crystalline sizes; it decreases with 0.5% and 1% Sb-doping and increases with further doping. As the energy gap is spanned between 2.39 and 2.27 eV, therefore, Sb: PbI2 films are ideal for use in solar cells. The resulting refractive index values were found to rise as the Sb doping concentration increased. Sb-doping decreases optical conductivity and dielectric constant.

Effect of Sb doping on microstructure, mechanical and electronic properties of Mg2Si in Mg2Si/AZ91 composites by experimental investigation and first-principles calculation

In this work, the effect of Sb addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg2Si phase in Mg2Si/AZ91 composites are investigated by experimental research and first-principles calculation. The experimental results show that the coarse dendritic shape is modified to blocky polygonal shape, and the size of primary Mg2Si, is successfully refined with the Sb addition. With enhancing Sb addition contents, the doping concentration of Sb in Mg2Si phase keeps increasing, which accounts for the morphology and size modification. Besides, nano-indentation tests reveal that the Young’s modulus of Mg2Si phase exhibits less reduction, while the hardness is significantly improved when introducing 2.0 wt%Sb. The calculated results indicate that the structure stability of Mg2Si crystal is enhanced, and the mechanical modulus including bulk modulus, shear modulus and Young’s modulus of Mg2Si are decreased with the increase of Sb concentration, agreeing well with experimental observation, but the hardness reduces, which is contrary to the experimental results. Mg2Si phase doping with Sb atoms, however, exhibits improved ductile behavior compared with undoped Mg2Si due to the increased Poisson’s ratio and B/G ratio. In addition, Sb doping can weaken the bond strength and reduce the population of Mg-Si covalent bonds, as well as generate new Mg-Sb bonds with lower strength based on the electronic structure analysis, which contribute to the decrease of mechanical modulus.

First-principles prediction on antimony-doping effects on the cyclic stability of tin anodes for lithium-ion batteries.

Tin-based materials are considered as promising anode materials for advanced Li-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their relatively high capacity and suitable working voltage, but they suffer from poor structural stability during electrochemical cycling. Herein, we present the possibility that the cyclic stability of the Sn LIB anode can be enhanced by adding a small amount of antimony (Sb), based on first-principles investigation of lithiation behavior of amorphous Sn doped with 3 at% Sb. At low Li contents (x < 1.5 in a-LixSn0.97Sb0.03), our simulations show that the preferential reaction of Li with Sb over Sn tends to lead to the formation of small lithiated Sb clusters. However, the aggregated Sb, if any, become fully separated upon further lithiation, implying that they may remain well dispersed in the lithiation/delithiation process if the Sb-doping concentration is sufficiently low. The weak aggregation and preferential lithiation tendency of Sb in the Sb-doped Sn anode can be expected to contribute to enhancing its structural stability during cycling, in comparison with pure Sn and SnSb alloy cases. We also compare lithiation-induced changes in the electrochemical, transport and mechanical properties between the Sb-doped and pure Sn systems. Our study highlights the importance of low concentration and uniform distribution of Sb in order to obtain desired properties of Sb-doped Sn as an anode for LIBs. This finding also provides some hints for the further development of Sn-based anodes via fine-tuning of doping.

Improvement of the dust removal performance of a high-transmittance SnO2–SiO2 film by Sb doping

Dust on outdoor glass will significantly reduce glass transmittance in various applications and even damage solar cell panels. Here, the effects of Sb doping on the structure and photoelectric properties of a Sb-doped SnO2–SiO2 (ATO-SiO2) film prepared on a glass substrate with a sol-gel method and the dust removal performance of the resulting film were studied. The results show that the Sb-doped SnO2–SiO2 film consists of a SnO2 tetragonal rutile phase, but the doped Sb decreases the sample crystallinity. With an increase in the Sb doping concentration, two lattice parameters of the ATO-SiO2 film, a and c, show “M"-shaped changes. The nanoparticle size first decreases and subsequently increases when the Sb doping concentration is over 6 mol%. The transmittance of the substrate glass coated with this film in the visible wavelength range (380–780 nm) decreases from 86.3% to 82.7%. The square resistance first decreases and subsequently increases, while the dust removal performance first increases and subsequently decreases. At a 12 mol% Sb doping concentration, the square resistance is minimal (4.64 × 106 Ω/□). The maximal dust removal performance is 64%.

Influence of antimony on the structural, electronic, mechanical, and anisotropic properties of cubic barium stannate

Throughout this study, we have investigated Sb doping’s effects on the physical metallurgy of perovskite BaSnO3 by employing the first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT). We observed an increasing trend of lattice constants with an increasing doping concentration of Sb on perovskite BaSnO3. The calculated formation enthalpy and elastic constants ensured the structural stability of our system even under varied doping of Sb. Our band structure calculations suggested that it would be possible to tune the band structure of BaSnO3 by partially substituting Sb at the Sn-site, which reduced the band gap at low doping levels and transformed the compound from semiconducting to metallic at Sb ≥ 12.5%. The mechanical properties exhibited the prominent effects of Sb doping. In addition, the anisotropy of our system was significantly dependent on the elastic constant Cij and varied as the doping concentration of Sb is increased. Therefore, our simulation outputs clearly illustrated the importance of taking into account the Sb doping influence on the physical properties of BaSnO3 perovskite material.

Transparent conducting SnO2 thin films synthesized by nebulized spray pyrolysis technique: Impact of Sb doping on the different physical properties

The impact of antimony (Sb) doping concentration on the different physical properties of transparent conducting tin oxide (SnO2) thin films synthesized through nebulized spray pyrolysis (NSP) method have been explored systematically. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results reveal the tetragonal cassiterite structure of single phase SnO2 and the decrement of crystallite size with rising Sb doping concentration. Uniform and compact surface morphology with continuous distribution of grains and reduction of grain size with increasing dopant amount are illustrated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The stoichiometry of SnO2 film with 2% Sb doping is confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) study. The optical transmittance is more than 85% in the visible region for undoped film and enhanced in the near infrared (NIR) spectral region for all the films. The transparency is reduced and the optical band gap is found to increase from 3.69 eV to 3.90 eV upon Sb inclusion. The extinction coefficient, refractive index, dielectric constant, dissipation factor, volume energy loss function, surface energy loss function, optical conductivity and optical density of the films are determined and interpreted for different dopant concentrations. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum demonstrates the enhancement of emission intensity with increasing Sb incorporation representing its suitability in the application of solid state lighting. The lowest resistivity of 6.435 × 10−4 Ω cm and the highest carrier concentration of 1.316 × 1021 cm−3 are achieved for the film with 8% Sb doping concentration. The mobility of the studied degenerated films is varied from 54.743 cm2/Vs for undoped films to 7.378 cm2/Vs for 8% Sb doped film and limited by ionized impurity scattering. The film deposited with 2% Sb doping level exhibits the highest figure of merit values in both visible and NIR wavelength region indicating its better role in optoelectronic applications.

Structural, morphological and opto-electrical properties of transparent conducting SnO2 thin films: Influence of Sb doping

ABSTRACT Pure and antimony doped tin oxide (Sb:SnO2) thin solid films were synthesised through a simple and low-cost nebulised spray pyrolysis (NSP) route. The influence of Sb doping on the different physical properties of these films was systematically investigated. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) study exhibited polycrystalline in nature of all films with tetragonal cassiterite structure of single phase SnO2. XRD analysis also revealed the reduction in crystallite size as well as the grain size observed in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with Sb doping concentration. The average transmittance of all the films was greater than 73% at the visible wavelength region and the transparency was reduced by Sb inclusion. The direct optical band gap value was the lowest of 3.94 eV for pure SnO2 and enhanced by Sb doping level. The effects of Sb doping concentration on extinction coefficient, refractive index, dielectric constant, optical conductivity and optical density of the films were examined. Photoluminescence spectrum revealed a broad violet emission peak near 390 nm and Sb doping intensified the peak. Both the resistivity and sheet resistance were found to vary in the range of 1.61 × 10−3 Ω.cm to 3.92 × 10−4 Ω.cm and 32.73 Ω/□ to 134.41 Ω/□, respectively with the variation of Sb doping concentration. The highest mobility and carrier concentration were 54.74 cm2/Vs and 7.02 × 1021 cm−3 for undoped and 10% Sb doped films, respectively. However, the figure of merit was found to be maximum of 1.38 × 10−3 (Ω/cm2)−1 for 5% Sb doping concentration among the films.

Saturation of electrically activated Sb concentration in heavily Sb-doped n+-Ge1−xSnx epitaxial layers

We investigated the key factors dominating the maximum doping concentration of Sb in heavily Sb-doped Ge1−xSnx epitaxial layers prepared by non-thermal equilibrium molecular beam epitaxy. First, we found that the Sb-doped Ge layer showed a maximum electron concentration of 1020 cm−3 after low-temperature growth without surface degradation, whereas further Sb-doping caused Sb segregation and/or precipitation with a decrease in electron concentration. Next, we analyzed Sb chemical bonding state and showed that the concentration of electrically activated Sb atom, Sb1+, was saturated to approximately 1020 cm−3 and further doping increased Sb0 concentration. To analyze Sb1+ saturation, we simulated the theoretical relationship between ionized-donor and total-donor concentrations and showed that the saturation tendency of Sb1+ is due to the inevitable generation of an unionized substitutional donor, which occurs before Sb segregation and/or precipitation. The results of this study are significant for the design of heavily doped semiconductors.

Study the Optical Properties of Undoped and Antimony Doped Tin Oxide Films Prepared by APCVD Technique

In the present study, antimony doped tin oxide (SnO2:Sb) thin films are prepared by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) technique by varying the doping concentration in very small range, 1- 1.4 wt.% at a constant substrate temperature of 480 oC. The effect of Sb-doping concentration on the optical behavior of SnO2 film deposited on glass substrates are analyzed and discussed. Optical measurements showed that the average optical transmittance decreased with increased Sb concentration, and each of absorbance, absorption coefficient and extinction factor were increased in same way and regularly with increasing the concentration of Sb. However the optical reflectance and the refractive index were irregularly increased in same way with increasing the concentration of Sb. A little decrease of energy gap from 3.96 to 4.015 eV with increasing Sb concentration is observed.

Dependence of Electrical and Optical Properties of Sol-gel-derived SnO2 Thin Films on Sb-substitution

In the present work, Sb-doped SnO2 (ATO) thin films were deposited on Si substrates by spin-coating method and the influence of Sb-doping on surface roughness, structural, optical and electrical properties has been investigated. AFM measurements show that the surface roughness decreases with increasing the Sb-doping concentration up to 5 mol%. XRD results confirm that all prepared ATO films have a tetragonal rutile structure of tin oxide. It has been observed that both the crystallite size and the extinction coefficient decrease with increasing Sb-doping concentration up to 5 mol%, while the refractive index increases with increasing Sb-doping concentration. The electrical resistivity decreases with increasing Sb-doping concentration, and the lowest resistivity obtained is 8.5 × 10-3 Ω.cm for SnO2 doped with 7.5 mol% of Sb.

Effect of Sb substitution on structural and magnetic properties of MnBi based alloys

A series of MnBi1-xSbx alloys were prepared by a metallurgical method. The samples MnBi1-xSbx were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM). The effects of Sb substitution on the structural formation, electronic structure and magnetic property of MnBi were investigated experimentally and theoretically. We find that the introduction of Sb atoms may prevent the decomposition of Bi from MnBi, and thus help stabilize the low temperature phase (LTP) MnBi. In addition, first-principle calculations reveal that the saturation magnetization (Ms) and magnetic crystalline anisotropy constant (K) are increased upon increasing Sb-doping concentration, in contrast to a reduction of the Curie temperature (TC). Therefore, our findings could provide a promising route for enhancing the performance of MnBi permanent magnets.

Effect of Sb-doping on the morphology and the infrared emissivity of peony-like SnO2 microspheres

ABSTRACTPeony-like SnO2 microspheres are synthesized by a simple hydrothermal process. The microstructure and morphology of the as-prepared samples are characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, SAED, and EDS. The infrared emissivity is characterized by ISM. The results show the as-prepared samples are indexed to a tetragonal rutile phase of SnO2 with perfect peony-like morphology, whose structure and morphology are proved to be effective to reduce the infrared emissivity (IRE). The influence of doping of Sb was also investigated. The results indicate that the doping concentration of Sb has an important influence on both morphology and conductive of the as-prepared samples, both of which have an influence on IRE properties.

From Transparent Conducting Material to Gas-Sensing Application of SnO2:Sb Thin Films

Transparent conductive thin films of nanocrystalline tin oxide:antimony (SnO2:Sb) were deposited on a preheated glass substrate at 400°C via spray pyrolysis technique. The effects of Sb doping concentration on morphological, structural and optical properties of the films were investigated by ultraviolet (UV)-visible absorption, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The XRD study revealed that all the films had a polycrystalline nature, which increased with the Sb doping up to 4 wt.% and then decreased with further Sb doping. Similarly, the SEM images highlighted that the grain size of the SnO2:Sb thin films increased with Sb doping from 2 wt.% to 4 wt.% and then decreased for 6 wt.%. UV–visible study demonstrated that the average transmission in the visible region was found to vary from 35% to 75% depending on the Sb doping concentration. As a proof of concept, we implemented the SnO2:Sb thin films with different Sb doping for gas-sensing applications. To measure the selectivity of the SnO2:Sb thin films, the Sb-doped and -undoped films were exposed to different types of gases with varied concentration. The results of this work demonstrated that the SnO2:Sb thin film-based gas sensor had a high potential for NH3 at a low temperature (100°C). In addition, long-term stability of the SnO2:Sb thin film-based sensor was measured at 100 ppm NH3 for 90 days.

Fabrication of antimony doped tin disulfide thin films by an inexpensive, modified spray pyrolysis technique using nebulizer

The SnS2 and antimony (Sb) doped SnS2 thin films were effectively synthesized on glass substrates for different antimony doping concentrations (2, 4, 6, 8 at. %) using nebulized spray pyrolysis technique. The XRD analysis showed that all the films are polycrystalline having hexagonal structure with (001) preferential orientation. It was seen from the SEM photographs that the doping causes remarkable changes in the surface morphology. EDAX analysis clearly confirms presence of expected elements tin, sulfur and antimony in the final product, in appropriate proportions. Optical study exhibits that the band gap value of SnS2 film decreases gradually with the increase in Sb doping concentration, reaching minimum band gap value of 2.55 eV at 6 at.% and starts increasing thereafter. Photoluminescence spectra depicted that the intensity of the emission peaks significantly varied with doping concentrations. The electrical study shows that the minimum resistivity value of 11 Ω cm with notable higher values of carrier concentration and mobility is achieved for 6 at.% of SnS2: Sb film. The Raman spectra exposed that SnS2 films had a broad peak at 314 cm−1.

SPUTTER-GROWN Sb-DOPED SILICON NANOCRYSTALS EMBEDDED IN SILICON-RICH CARBIDE FOR Si HETEROJUNCTION SOLAR CELLS

Sb-doped silicon nanocrystals (Si–NCs) films were fabricated by magnetron co-sputtering combined with rapid-thermal annealing. The effects of Sb content on the structural and electrical properties of the films were studied. The dot size increased with the increasing Sb content, and could be correlated to the effect of Sb-induced crystallization. The variation in the concentration of Sb shows a significant impact on the film properties, where as doped with 0.8[Formula: see text]at.% of Sb exhibited major property improvements when compared with other films. By employing Sb-doped Si–NCs films as emitter layers, Si–NCs/monocrystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells were fabricated and the effect of the Sb doping concentration on the photovoltaic properties was studied. It is found that the doping level in the Si–NCs layer is a key factor in determining the short-circuit current density and power conversion efficiency (PCE). With an optimized doping concentration of 0.8[Formula: see text]at.% of Sb, a maximal PCE of 7.10% was obtained. This study indicates that the Sb-doped Si–NCs can be good candidates for all-silicon tandem solar cells.