A Study of Chemically Deposited Barium Titanate (Batio3) Thin Films Doped with Natural Dyes and Their Photovoltaic Applications.

Abstract

Abstract - Ternary thin films of BaTiO3 nanostructures were synthesized at 90 0C via the Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD) route under room temperature. They were doped with three natural (local/organic) dyes extracted from Lawsonia inermis leaves, Beta vulgaries roots, and Jatropha curcas leaves and thereafter annealed at 400 0C. doped and as-deposited nanostructures were studied employing XRD, SEM, FTIR, UV VIS, and EDXRF. Our X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies revealed a polycrystalline structure. The SEM studies exhibited porous structures advantageous for dye loading. The EDXRF shows the compositional elements. The FTIR reveals the carboxylate and photo physical properties of the dyes. The UV-VIS investigation presented band gap energies Eg of the doped as ad (BR) = 2.60 eV; bd (OO) = 1.61 eV; ccd (LL) = 1.90 eV against the as-deposited AD (g1) = 3.10 eV showing that the dyes reduced the Eg of the thin films occurring from an increased absorption coefficient α. The Nano porous, as-deposited thin films adsorb the extracted dyes on the surface and the interaction between the Nano porous films and the natural dyes used to dope BaTiO3 was studied using UV-VIS spectrophotometer with the aim of investigating their photovoltaic applications