Novel CuO NPs urea assisted combustion synthesis with enhanced dielectric and photodetection performance for optoelectronic devices

Abstract

In this work, the authors used various U (U) concentrations, ranging from 0.25g to 3.00 g to synthesize the CuO nanoparticles (NPs) via the flash combustion method for the first time at a fixed 500 °C temperature. Structural and vibrational, along with elemental composition and e-mapping studies, confirm the monophasic synthesis of CuO NPs with up to 1g of U concentrations; however, at higher concentrations of U, the presence of carbon and Cu₂O was noticed. The particle size estimated from the Scherrer equation and SEM is found to be reduced. Diffused reflectance spectra were recorded for all samples, and a blue shift in absorption edges was noticed, which indicates a reduction in bandgap values with increasing U fuel. The dielectric constant, loss, and electrical conductivity were studied for all samples, indicating high capacitive storage material. The photocurrent, photosensitivity, and other electrical parameters were studied and discussed under the influence of different light illuminations. The photodetector device prepared with 3g-U-CuO NPs possesses superior electrical properties. These results suggest the use of synthesized CuO NPs for future optoelectronic devices.