Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics最新文献

{"title":"Structural, mechanical and third-order non-linear optical properties of imidazolium hydrogen oxalate (IMHO) single crystals: insights from a theoretical and experimental approach","authors":"R. M. Reniha Bruce,&nbsp;S. E. Joema,&nbsp;B. Sahaya Infant Lasalle","doi":"10.1007/s10854-025-15858-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-025-15858-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Imidazolium hydrogen oxalate (IMHO) single crystals were produced using the solvent evaporation method. Single crystal X-ray diffraction confirmed a monoclinic structure with space group P2₁/n and unit cell parameters: <i>a</i> = 5.83 Å, <i>b</i> = 17.92 Å, <i>c</i> = 6.85 Å, <i>α</i> = <i>γ</i> = 90°and <i>β</i> = 104.01°. A theoretical calculation using the DFT/B3LYP/6-31G(d) method yielded the optimized geometrical parameters, which were later compared to experimental values. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis is used to figure out charge delocalisation and hydrogen bonding interaction. The FT-IR analysis is used to identify functional groups. The UV–visible analysis showed 75% transmittance and an optical band gap of 4.77 eV. The emission behaviour was analysed by fluorescence spectral analysis. HOMO–LUMO analysis yielded an energy gap of 4.85 eV, supporting high chemical stability. Hirshfeld surface analysis clarifies the interactions seen in the created IMHO crystal. The mechanical characteristics is studied using Vickers microhardness analysis. Z-scan analysis confirmed third-order nonlinear optical activity with a nonlinear refractive index of 1.6 × 10⁻¹³ m²/W, absorption coefficient of 3.85 × 10⁻⁸ m/W, and third-order susceptibility <i>χ</i>⁽³⁾ of 5.765 × 10⁻¹⁰ esu. These results establish IMHO as a promising candidate for advanced NLO applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"36 27","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211003","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Vanadium doping on the structural, vibrational, optical, dielectric, ferroelectric and electrical properties of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 ceramics","authors":"Kasiratnam Teki,&nbsp;Hari Sankar Mohanty,&nbsp;Krishnamayee Bhoi,&nbsp;Subrata Karmakar,&nbsp;Hitesh Borkar,&nbsp;Soumyaranjan Mohapatra","doi":"10.1007/s10854-025-15839-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-025-15839-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this report, we have studied the effect of Vanadium (V) substitution on the various properties such as structural, microstructural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of (Na_0.5Bi_0.5)Ti_{(1−5<i>x/</i>4)}V_<i>x</i>O₃ (0.00 ≤ <i>x</i> ≤ 0.15) (NBVT) ceramics. The polycrystalline samples are synthesized using solid-state route followed by high temperature microwave sintering technique. Room temperature XRD analysis along with structural Rietveld refinement technique confirms the existence of perovskite single-phase rhombohedral structure (R3c space group) for Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ (NBT) &amp; NBVT. The obtained results are subsequently corroborated by Raman analysis. The FESEM image of NBVT compounds display the uniform, distinct microstructure, scattered voids and reduction in average grain size with increased V-concentration. The widening in the band gap energy of NBT ceramic is observed upon V doping. A well saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loop NBVT suggests existence of ferroelectric behavior in the material. The temperature dependent dielectric constant shows existence of ferroelectric phase transition and shifted towards low temperature side upon increase in V-concentration. A low dielectric loss at high frequencies makes the material suitable for microwave device applications. Impedance and modulus formalism analysis of electrical data revealed a dominant non-ideal bulk contribution to the compound’s overall electrical response and negative temperature coefficient of resistance (NTCR) behavior. To determine the conduction mechanism, the universal power law is used to model the frequency dependent ac conductivity data. To figure out the type of charge carriers involved in various electrical processes, activation energies are calculated from temperature dependent impedance data.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"36 27","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Swift heavy ion irradiation of gallium nitride: a review of defect dynamics, ion–matter interactions, and property modifications","authors":"Kamal Singh,&nbsp;Muskan Verma,&nbsp;Vaishali Rathi,&nbsp;Vinay Kumar,&nbsp;Dinakar Kanjilal,&nbsp;Ranjeet K. Brajpuriya,&nbsp;Ashish Kumar","doi":"10.1007/s10854-025-15836-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-025-15836-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This review paper analyzes the modifications induced by effects of swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation on gallium nitride (GaN), emphasizing its structural, optical, and electrical modifications. Recognized for its exceptional semiconducting properties, GaN has become a focal material in radiation environments. SHI irradiation offers a distinct technique for tuning GaN’s properties through controlled defect formation. The review elaborates on the interactions between swift heavy ions and GaN, highlighting key energy loss mechanisms—electronic and nuclear energy losses—that govern the nature and extent of damage. It incorporates theoretical models such as Coulomb explosion, thermal spike, and molecular dynamics simulations to interpret the physical processes underlying defect generation and evolution. The study primarily addresses the role of varying projectile ion masses (<i>A</i> = 7–238), categorized as light (<i>A</i> &lt; 20), medium (20 ≤ <i>A</i> &lt; 50), heavy (50 ≤ <i>A</i> &lt; 150), and super-heavy (<i>A</i> ≥ 150) ions. Irradiation conditions span fluences from 2.5 × 10⁷ to 1 × 1014 ions/cm² and energies between 3 and 2300 MeV. The induced changes in GaN are characterized using techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, photoluminescence (PL), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Hall effect measurements. In addition to mass effects, the influence of ion energy, energy loss parameters such as electronic energy loss (S_e) and nuclear energy loss (S_n), fluence, flux, and post-irradiation annealing is critically reviewed for their cumulative impact on GaN’s behavior. Although challenges remain in fully controlling these irradiation effects, the review outlines potential future research directions, including the extension of SHI studies to other wide bandgap materials such as ZnO, Ga₂O₃, and SiC. In conclusion, the findings underscore the relevance of SHI irradiation as a potent tool for engineering GaN-based materials and devices for emerging applications in next-generation semiconductor technologies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"36 27","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation of the effect of K-doping on the structural, dispersion, optical, and electrical properties of the Mn2VO4 thin films","authors":"I. M. El Radaf","doi":"10.1007/s10854-025-15873-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-025-15873-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study demonstrates the successful synthesis of potassium (K)-doped manganese vanadium oxide (Mn₂VO₄) thin films via nebulizer spray pyrolysis, proposing their application as a novel window layer for solar cells. The films were fabricated with varying K concentrations (0.04, 0.08, and 0.12 mol). X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed a cubic crystal structure for all films and revealed that increasing the K-dopant concentration induced significant microstructural changes: the average crystallite size decreased from 34.62 nm to 28.16 nm. Furthermore, the dislocation density and strain of the potassium-doped Mn₂VO₄ films were enhanced by augmenting the potassium concentration in the Mn₂VO₄ films. The energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) investigation confirms the incorporation of potassium into the Mn₂VO₄ films. Optical characterizations of potassium-doped Mn₂VO₄ thin films revealed a notable reduction in the energy gap from 3.02 eV to 2.69 eV as the potassium content rose from 0.04 to 0.12 mol. The refractive index spectra display a boost in the refractive index by augmenting the potassium content. The analysis of oscillator energy (<i>E</i>_<i>o</i>) showed a notable decrease from 3.43 to 2.29 eV, while the dispersion energy (<i>E</i>_<i>d</i>) increased from 11.25 to 16.51 eV as the potassium content increased. The activation energy of the potassium-doped Mn₂VO₄ thin films decreased with increased potassium content from 0.04 to 0.12 mol. This research suggests that potassium-doped Mn₂VO₄ thin films may serve as innovative window layers for solar cells.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"36 27","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145210713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structural and magnetic phase transitions in Ti-doped Nd0.7Ba0.3MnO3 perovskite manganites","authors":"Dinesh Kumar,&nbsp;Akhilesh Kumar Singh","doi":"10.1007/s10854-025-15868-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-025-15868-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Effect of Ti-doping on structural and magnetic phase transitions in Nd_0.7Ba_0.3Mn_1-xTi_xO₃ (NBMTO) manganites at Mn-site has been studied for the first time. The NBMTO perovskites with 0 ≤ <i>x</i> ≤ 0.3 have been synthesized by using auto-combustion method, which is a most facile and commercial synthesis method. The Rietveld structure refinement using X-ray diffraction data reveals a structural phase transition from orthorhombic to tetragonal structure at the composition <i>x</i> = 0.3. The NBMTO manganites with <i>x</i> &lt; 0.3 exhibit the orthorhombic crystal structure with <i>Imma</i> space group and the sample with <i>x</i> = 0.3, crystallizes into two coexisting tetragonal structures having <i>I4/mcm</i> and <i>P4mm</i> space groups. Lattice parameters and unit cell volume enhance as the content of Ti⁴⁺-ions increases, which confirms that Ti⁴⁺-ions replace Mn⁴⁺-ions. The average values of lattice strain and the crystallite size of the NBMTO manganites have been calculated using the Williamson-Hall plot technique for nanocrystalline samples. The temperature dependence of magnetic measurement shows that all compositions of NBMTO exhibit paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition at Curie-temperature (T_C). It has been found that the values of T_C reduces exponentially with enhancing the concentration of Ti⁴⁺-ion from 140 K for <i>x</i> = 0 to 28 K for <i>x</i> = 0.3. Analysis of field-dependent magnetizations at a low temperature of 10 K clearly shows antiferromagnetic ordering within the ferromagnetic order. Investigation of Arrott’s plots reveals that all the samples exhibit second-order magnetic transition in the high-field region and first-order magnetic transition in the low-field region.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"36 27","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145210987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Layer-dependent photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO Thin films: kinetic analysis, structural insights and optical bandgap characterization using absorption spectrum fitting, Tauc’s plot, and Cody models","authors":"Ibrahim Yaacoub Bouderbala,&nbsp;Amir Guessoum,&nbsp;Selma Rabhi,&nbsp;Abdelmadjid Herbadji,&nbsp;Imed-Eddine Bouras","doi":"10.1007/s10854-025-15845-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-025-15845-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This article has been allocated to studying microstructural features and optical properties of the polycrystalline thin ZnO films. ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates using a sol–gel dip-coating process with varied layer numbers (8, 10, and 12). Structural characterization via XRD confirmed a polycrystalline wurtzite structure with enhanced crystallinity as the number of layers increased and increasing the crystallite size from 34.8 ± 0.6 to 40.9 ± 0.7 nm. FE-SEM analysis revealed increased surface wrinkle size and reduced grain boundaries with thickness. Optical measurements showed high transmittance (&gt; 80%) in the visible region and a slight reduction in bandgap energy from 3.17 ± 0.07 to 3.11 ± 0.03 eV with an increase in Urbach energy from 763.9 ± 5.3 to 847.3 ± 6.1meV. Photocatalytic performance was evaluated by degrading Rhodamine B under UV light, showing a significant enhancement in degradation rate from 0.034 ± 0.007 to 0.072 ± 0.008 min⁻¹ with increased film thickness. These findings highlight the potential of thickness-optimized ZnO films for environmental photocatalytic applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"36 27","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145210945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Novel strategies to sustainable water treatment utilizing strain-engineered AC/Cu composites through ball milling for enhanced photocatalytic applications","authors":"Sri Suryani,&nbsp;Fatma Syam,&nbsp;Dahlang Tahir,&nbsp;Restu Widiatmono,&nbsp;Heryanto Heryanto","doi":"10.1007/s10854-025-15805-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-025-15805-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ensuring the sustainability and availability of clean water is a priority, especially in the case of textile pollution, such as that caused by methylene blue (MB). MB is a difficult-to-decompose dye that can cause severe environmental problems and health problems such as cancer and skin diseases. As a solution, we used different ball milling times (0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 20, 28, 32, and 48 h) to produce non-uniform Cu strains, and then composited them with activated carbon (AC) through a mechanical mixing strategy. Material characterization using XRD, FTIR, SEM, BET, and UV–Vis, which showed changes in <i>d-spacing</i>, C-H vibration shifts, increased <span>({varepsilon }_{2})</span>, surface pit-shaped traps, and consistent <span>({p}_{d})</span> have a Linear relationship with improving photocatalytic performance. Kinetic analysis follows a pseudo-first-order model with a kinetic rate constant of 0.957 min⁻¹. The AC/Cu composite (4 h) achieved 90.35% MB degradation within 15-min after irradiation using 1 g of catalyst, demonstrating significant performance enhancement. This study highlights a scalable and straightforward strategy to engineer metal–carbon composites with tunable properties for effective wastewater treatment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"36 27","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145210979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experimental and DFT + U investigation of PrFe₂O₄ spinel ferrite: structural, optical, and electronic properties","authors":"Abdullah Saad Alsubaie,&nbsp;Karim Souifi,&nbsp;Ghada Raddaoui,&nbsp;Elyor Berdimurodov,&nbsp;Jasur Tursunqulov","doi":"10.1007/s10854-025-15895-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-025-15895-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The multifunctional applications of rare-earth spinel ferrites remain limited due to incomplete understanding of their structural–electronic correlations. In this study, we address this challenge by combining experimental characterization and DFT + U calculations to uncover the structural, optical, and electronic properties of PrFe₂O₄. X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of a single-phase cubic spinel structure (Fd-3 m) with a refined lattice parameter of 8.236 Å and unit cell volume of 558.661 Å3. Crystallite size analysis revealed nanoscale domains (32–43 nm), while SEM showed densely packed micrometer-sized grains, confirming structural densification. Optical measurements identified a strong absorption peak at 950 nm and dual band gaps—an indirect gap of 2.473 eV and a direct gap of 5.453 eV—highlighting broad-spectrum light response. A relatively high Urbach energy (1.941 eV) indicated structural disorder and localized electronic states, correlating with enhanced sub-bandgap absorption. Spin-polarized DFT + U calculations validated the half-metallic nature of PrFe₂O₄, with metallic character in the spin-up channel and semiconducting behavior in the spin-down channel, accompanied by strong spin polarization near the Fermi level. Theoretical optical simulations further revealed anisotropy in dielectric and absorption responses, with the extinction coefficient peaking at 6.5 near 1 eV and a static refractive index exceeding 6. These findings establish PrFe₂O₄ as a multifunctional material with promising potential for spintronic, optoelectronic, and energy-related applications, providing new insights into the structure–property relationship of rare-earth ferrites.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"36 27","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145210980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A high-performance biopolymer sensor based on dialdehyde starch-vanadium pentoxide nanocomposite for selective and sensitive voltammetric detection of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II) ions","authors":"Mohamed Abd-Elsabour,&nbsp;Mortaga M. Abou-Krisha,&nbsp;Abdulrahman G. Alhamzani,&nbsp;Abdullah N. Alotaibi,&nbsp;Ehab A. Abdelrahman","doi":"10.1007/s10854-025-15782-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-025-15782-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Heavy metal pollution poses severe environmental and health risks, necessitating sensitive and eco-friendly detection methods. The present work introduces a novel electrochemical sensor based on a dialdehyde starch-vanadium pentoxide (DAS-V₂O₅) nanocomposite-modified carbon paste electrode (CPE) for simultaneous voltammetric detection of Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Zn²⁺. Via a straightforward chemical protocol, dialdehyde starch serves as a biodegradable scaffold that facilitates the homogeneous dispersion of V₂O₅ nanoparticles, leading enhance both the electrode’s active surface area and metal ion adsorption capacity. The modifier was characterized using FRIT, XRD, SEM, and EDX. The electrochemical performance of the DAS-V₂O₅ NPs/CPE was evaluated using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) for the simultaneous detection of Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Zn²⁺ in aqueous solutions. Under optimized differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) conditions, the sensor displayed a strictly linear relationship between peak current and concentration for Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Pb²⁺. The corresponding linear dynamic ranges and limits of detection (LODs) were as follows: Zn²⁺, 4.0 nM–20.0 µM (LOD = 0.092 nM); Cd²⁺, 8.0 nM–25.0 µM (LOD = 0.60 nM); Pb²⁺, 3.0 nM–23.0 µM (LOD = 0.046 nM), which showed the nanocomposite modification significantly enhanced the electrode’s sensitivity, with detection limits well below the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible limits. The sensor exhibited excellent selectivity, reproducibility (RSD &lt; 4%), and stability (&gt; 95% signal retention after 4 weeks). The practical applicability of the DAS- V₂O₅NPs/CPE was evidenced through its analysis of real water samples achieving recoveries of 93.45–100.65%, highlighting its reliability for environmental monitoring. This green chemistry-aligned sensor offers a promising tool for on-site heavy metal detection in environmental and industrial samples.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"36 27","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145210982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimized synthesis and characterization of SrO-CuO nanocomposites for superior photocatalytic degradation of malachite green dye under direct sun exposure","authors":"G. Anandhakumari,&nbsp;V. Muthulakshmi,&nbsp;B. Valarmathi,&nbsp;V. Vasanthi,&nbsp;N. Sivanantham,&nbsp;S. Sathesh,&nbsp;K. Thirunavukkarasu,&nbsp;P. Jayabal","doi":"10.1007/s10854-025-15848-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-025-15848-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, strontium oxide nanoparticles (SrO NPs), copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) and strontium oxide—copper oxide nanocomposites (SC NCs) were synthesized via a co-precipitation method and characterized for their structural, morphological, optical, and photocatalytic properties. The SC NCs was prepared by varying the concentration of CuO precursor followed by annealing at 800 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the cubic structure of SrO and the monoclinic phase of CuO. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed a variety of morphologies: spherical, cubic, random, and rod-like structures for SrO; agglomerated flower petal-like structures for CuO; and a combination of random and rod-like morphologies for SC 0.6 M NC. Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the elemental composition and chemical bonding in the nanocomposites. The formation of Sr–Cu–O nanocomposites (SC NCs) was confirmed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), which provides insights into the elemental composition and oxidation states of the constituent elements. Optical characterization using UV–Vis spectroscopy and Tauc's plot revealed an increase in the band gap of SC NCs with higher CuO content, ranging from 2.33 to 3.08 eV. The photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of Malachite Green (MG) dye under direct sunlight showed that SC-0.6 NC achieved complete dye degradation within 60 min, outperforming pure SrO and CuO NPs. Kinetic studies indicated that SC-0.6 NC followed pseudo-first-order kinetics with a high correlation coefficient (<i>R</i>² = 0.99876). Radical scavenging experiments identified holes as key contributors to photocatalytic activity. The results demonstrate that the SrO-CuO NCs, especially SC-0.6, exhibit enhanced photocatalytic performance, highlighting their potential for environmental cleanup applications using solar energy.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"36 27","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145210912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}