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    SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ZnO:Al:Ga CO-DOPED NANOPARTICLES FOR POSSIBLE SOLAR CELL APPLICATION

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    Date
    2024-07
    Author
    Bett, Cornelius Kiprotich
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    Abstract
    Pollution is a major reason traditional energy sources like crude oil and fossil fuels are not environmentally friendly, negatively impacting climate change. Creating of alternative clean energy sources such as solar energy is a solution. Solar cells have employed silicon-based technology extensively, although it is costly. Herein, creating alternative materials with cheap production costs for solar cell applications is key. This research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of ZnO:Al:Ga co-doped nanoparticles with the aim of possible solar cell applications, a substitution for silicon. Zinc oxide co-doped with aluminum and gallium, possesses good optical and electrical properties that can potentially enhance solar cell performance. The proposed study involved the synthesis of the Zinc oxide co-doped with aluminum and gallium nanoparticles using the sol-gel technique by controlling the pH, stirring speed in the precursor, and annealing with various temperatures (i.e 600 oC, 700 oC, 800 oC, 900oC) to obtain optimized nanopowders. The synthesized nanoparticles' structural properties, optical properties, elemental composition and morphological properties, and chemicals corresponding bonding structure were examined using characterization techniques; X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD), Ultraviolet- Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Scanning Electron Spectroscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) respectively. XRD analysis showed hexagonal wurtize of ZnO with the crystallite size estimated to be ranging from 12 to 21 nm for for the experimental factors; the pH, annealing temperature and stirring speed. The XRD pattern of ZnO:Al:Ga Nps matched well with the Wurtize ZnO crystal structure with variation in peak intensities observed. SEM displayed aggregation of nanoparticles when the precursor pH increased from 7 to 13, therefore confirming that alkaline medium promotes crystallization. The morphological changes caused by the annealing temperatures were better understood by using SEM imaging, which showed differences in particle size, shape, and aggregation patterns with the desired spherical grain-like structure. As was confirmed in this study nanoparticles showed the most enhanced crystallinity at 1000 rpm further homogeneous doping was confirmed through SEM micrographs, increased surface area, and optimized optical properties. This affirms good properties enhance high efficiency in solar cells for the production of clean renewable energy. UV-Vis analysis showed absorption peaks varying from 380 – 376 nm for precursor pH values 7 – 13, with band gap energy ranging between of 3.26 – 3.29 eV. The decreased transmittance was observed with the higher pH values of 11–13 attributed to it’s larger particles. Also, the optical properties of the nanoparticles annealed at different temperatures showed absorbance wavelength range of 371–383 nm, the analysis showed a noticeable redshift in the absorption edge and a decrease in the optical band-gap energy as the annealing temperature increased. This resulted in 3.24 - 3.34 eV, respectively, confirming modifications in the electronic structure. Similar results on stirring speed on the precursor solution were obtained that showed band-gap of wavelength 378 nm equivalent to 3.29 eV. FTIR peaks confirmed the presence of Zn-O, Al-O, and Ga-O stretching modes between 400 and 590 cm-1 with OH stretching bands observed above the 3000 cm-1 region indicating surface hydroxylation in all the experimental factors. In conclusion, the findings of this study confirmed a pH of 8, annealing temperature of 700 oC and stirring speed of 1000 rpm as the best conditions for development of sustainable and cost-effective solar cell for utilization of renewable energy sources and global solution of energy crisis.
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    http://repository.mut.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/6590
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    • School of Pure, Applied and Health Sciences (MT) [16]

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