Analysis of optical and structural properties of Sm~(3+) doped TiO_2: A potential composition for the fabrication of efficient DSSCs

摘要

The Lanthanum series (sm~(3+)) doped semiconducting metal oxide nanoparticles have gained significant attention due to their trustable optical properties. Herewith, TiO_2 and Sm~(3+) doped TiO_2 are prepared by utilizing the facile one-pot hydrothermal method. Structural and morphological studies of the samples are obtained by XRD and HR-TEM. The anatase phase and spherical size morphology of the samples are assured from these above mentioned analyses. From UV analysis it is noted that the band gap decreases (positive shift) due to the doping of Sm~(3+) ions on the surface of TiO_2. Photo and dark conductivity of both samples linearly increase with applied field which confirms that the positive conductivity of the sample. Comparing to pure TiO_2, Sm~(3+) doped TiO_2 sample exhibits higher conductivity. Hence, Sm~(3+) doped TiO_2 sample could be a potential photo anode for DSSCs applications.