article · Optical and Quantum Electronics
Nanocrystalline vanadium pentoxide films doped with varying levels of lanthanum oxide were prepared using a sol-gel method to evaluate their structural and optical characteristics. Structural analysis showed that adding lanthanum introduced an intercalation layer between vanadium layers, while reducing the average crystallite size from 4.45 nanometres down to 3.57 nanometres. Optical measurements revealed an indirect allowed transition mechanism alongside an optical band gap that widened as the lanthanum content increased. The absorption coefficient also showed a slight increase with greater lanthanum incorporation, connected to lattice distortion effects. In addition, parameters including refractive index, dielectric constants, effective mass, and carrier concentrations were calculated. The absorption behaviour across the ultraviolet and visible spectra indicates that these modified thin films possess characteristics suitable for integration into solar cells and optoelectronic devices.
Adjusting the optical and structural features of thin films is essential for improving modern electronic and renewable energy hardware. Understanding how lanthanum doping alters the light absorption and energy gaps of vanadium pentoxide helps material scientists tailor thin films for devices that harvest or manipulate light, potentially supporting more efficient solar cells and light-based electronic components.
The absorption characteristics in ultraviolet and visible wavelengths suggest potential use in solar cells and optoelectronic hardware, which would interest manufacturers of photovoltaic modules and optical sensors. Because the work focuses purely on laboratory synthesis, structural characterisation, and optical calculations without testing inside operational devices, the technology sits at an early stage of research and remains far from direct commercial deployment.
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Abstract The structural and optical properties of lanthanum oxide doped nanocrystalline vanadium pentoxide films with the chemical composition xLa 2 O 3 -(1-x)V 2 O 5 .nH 2 O (where x = 0.25, 0.50 and 1.0 mol%) prepared by sol–gel method were studied. The XRD analysis also revealed that the (002) line is noticeable in the pure film and gets sharper by the addition of Lanthanum, which indicates a layer of intercalation between the vanadium layers. The average crystallite size decreased with increasing Lanthanum content from 4.45 nm to 3.57 nm. By using double-beam UV–VIS spectrophotometers, the optical properties were studied by measuring the absorption, reflectance and transmittance of the prepared films. Some optical parameters like absorption coefficient α, dispersion energy parameters, refractive index n, optical band gap E op for various transition mechanisms, real parts and imaginary part of the dielectric constants and effective mass were calculated. The absorption coefficient slightly increases with increasing La content, which can be attributed to the increasing of lattice distortion as a result of crystallite size increasing as indicated in the XRD. The transition mechanism was found to be indirect allowed type with optical band gap E op increasing relative to the La content. By assuming hydrogen like model, the carrier’s contents N were deduced. The absorption spectrum behavior in visible and UV region suggests a promising solution for solar cells and optical-electronic applications.
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DOI: 10.1007/s11082-023-04764-2
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