SEM and AFM studies of dip-coated CuO nanofilms

V. Dhanasekaran, T. Mahalingam, V. Ganesan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cupric oxide (CuO) semiconducting thin films were prepared at various copper sulfate concentrations by dip coating. The copper sulfate concentration was varied to yield films of thicknesses in the range of 445-685 nm by surface profilometer. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the deposited films were polycrystalline in nature with monoclinic structure of (-111) plane. The surface morphology and topography of monoclinic-phase CuO thin films were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. Surface roughness profile was plotted using WSxM software and the estimated surface roughness was about ∼19.4 nm at 30 mM molar concentration. The nanosheets shaped grains were observed by SEM and AFM studies. The stoichiometric compound formation was observed at 30 mM copper sulfate concentration prepared film by EDX. The indirect band gap energy of CuO films was increased from 1.08 to 1.20 eV with the increase of copper sulfate concentrations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)58-65
Number of pages8
JournalMicroscopy Research and Technique
Volume76
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2013

Keywords

  • Atomic force microscopy
  • Cupric oxide
  • Scanning electron microscopy
  • Surface roughness

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'SEM and AFM studies of dip-coated CuO nanofilms'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this