Enhancement of optical and electrical properties of tin oxide thin films through Zr + Ag doping for photocatalytic and photovoltaic applications

Abstract In present investigation, Pure Tin (Sn), Zirconia (Zr) and Silver (Ag) doped Sn thin films are prepared by jet nebuliser spray technique and utilised for possible photovoltaic application. A simple soft chemical technique used to create Zr and Ag doped SnO2 nanocrystalline nanoparticles. As shown by the results of the XRD analysis, the nanoparticles found a tetragonal structure with P42/mnm symmetry, in accordance with the appearance of highly crystalline SnO2. The optical properties were performed, and their bandgap energies were found to be 2.8, 3.1 and 3.2 eV, respectively. Particles of prepared SnO2 were analysed using FT-IR and XRD spectroscopy, which confirmed the presence of Zr and Ag. The photocatalytic performance of Sn–Zr–Ag NPs was examined by degradation of cationic Safranin dye under sunlight radiations with an interval of 15 min up to 90 min. UV–Vis spectrum analysis and a pseudo-first-order kinetics model were used to study nano catalytic dye degradation. High photocatalytic activities were observed after Zr and Ag doping, which may be enhanced further by adding H2O2. The surface characteristics of the prepared thin films are evaluated by AFM analysis. The electrochemical behaviour and photovoltaic properties are evaluated by EIS and IV characteristic studies.